A Truth Revealed
by heath
Summary: Response to Severitus' Challenge. Harry returns to Hogwart's during his Sixth Year to find himself changing and in the midst of a war at the school. Warning: abuse scenes, rating may go up later.
1. The Beating

Chapter One  
The Beating  
  
  
Harry fell into bed, in pain. Since he'd come home from school, after his fourth year, his uncle had tired of just yelling at Harry. He'd resorted to hitting him, and today had been no different. He touched his ribs knowing that they were broken. He got up and looked into the mirror in his bedroom and saw that the left side of his face was beginning to bruise.  
"That's going to be lovely trying to hide at Hogwart's," he muttered to himself. He left for school in two days, and like the year before, the closer Harry got to going back to school, the more violent his uncle was. Harry touched his face and winced. It hurt badly.   
Last year, he had been able to filch some of his Aunt Petunia concealer to cover his bruises, but last year they hadn't been so bad. He silently thought that he looked better after his last meeting with Voldermort, at least Voldermort tried to just kill him, there was no physical beating before hand. Harry felt his jaw line; it felt like his jaw might possibly be broken as well. He sighed. There was no use thinking about it now.   
He walked back over and sat on his bed. He looked up at Hedwig's empty cage. He had let his owl loose after the first inclination that this summer would be half as bad as the last had. He didn't want them trying to starve his precious Hedwig again. He figured that she had probably flown to the Weasley's or gone back to Hogwart's.  
Harry heard pounding on the steps and pulled his knees in close. His uncle couldn't be ready for another beating already, could he? Was he actually trying to kill Harry? The door flew open. His uncle and aunt were standing in the doorway. He saw his aunt look away when she saw him.   
"What…what have I done now?" Harry asked in a small voice. His uncle sneered at him.  
"Nothing yet, boy," his uncle spat.   
"The people from your school are coming to get you, they'll be here in an hour," Aunt Petunia finally said. "They've sent a letter with that ruddy owl of yours."   
"Pack your things," Uncle Vernon spat. "NOW!" Harry flew off the bed and began arranging his things, not that there were really many to arrange. It took him all of ten minutes to pack. His school things were locked under the cupboard, as usual. He figured that Uncle Vernon would give them to him at the latest moment possible. He put his clothing in a box and took it down the steps. He sat in the living room chair and wondered why he was to go to school early. Maybe Voldermort was after him again, he thought, and then realized that Voldermort was after him all the time. His thoughts were quickly interrupted by Uncle Vernon swearing loudly. Harry thought he felt his heart stop beating, he knew what was coming. He was going to get one last beating before he went off to school. He heard his uncle storm into the room and Harry was thrown onto the floor. His shoulders hit the ground hard, Harry was sure that parts of his back would be bruised as well.  
"You ungrateful little bastard," his uncle hissed, hitting Harry in the ribs hard. Harry howled with pain and tried to get away, it was no use. Uncle Vernon grabbed him by the hair and pulled him back, careful to bash his head against the hard wood floor. His uncle threw the hair that he'd ripped out of Harry's head into his face. Uncle Vernon punched Harry again in the face, Harry tried to get away and his uncle grabbed his wrist. Harry yelled in pain and curled up on the floor in a little ball. His uncle was about to strike him again when the doorbell rang. His salvation. Uncle Vernon picked him up by his collar and shoved him back into the chair.   
"We're here for Harry," he heard a female voice say. He recognized it as Hermione's.   
"You're early," his uncle spat.  
"Is that a problem?" he heard someone else ask, it was Ron. Harry looked in the big mirror in the sitting room, his friends couldn't see him like this. His whole left side of his face was turning an ugly purple and there were bald spots from where his uncle had pulled out his hair. He began trying to get his hair to cover the spots but it was no use. He bit his lip, they would figure it out.   
Harry sat shaking, waiting for the moment when his friends would enter the see him. Finally Uncle Vernon had called for him. He walked out to the door and heard Hermione and Ron gasp. He looked up to see that they weren't alone. His old Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Remus Lupin was with them, and he looked just as shocked.  
"I've been in a car crash," Harry muttered. He knew that they hadn't believed him.  
"Petunia was taking him to the store," Uncle Vernon told them. He gave them Harry's trunk and Harry followed his friends outside. No one wanted to say anything to him, or so it seemed. Finally, they stopped a ways from 4 Privet Drive when someone finally talked.  
"You haven't really been in a car crash, have you Harry?" Hermione finally asked.  
"Yes, I have," he replied.   
They were silent for a few more minutes while they walked. The pain was making it hard for him to breathe. "Where are we going?" Harry asked, already winded.  
"My house, there's a port key up the road a bit further," Remus said. "We'd take you back to The Burrow, but that's not safe, Voldermort would surely look for you there."  
"I can't make it," Harry said as they walked a bit further. He was getting dizzy. "We have to stop." Then he passed out.  
  
  
  
"He had a concussion, which made him black out, but don't worry, I think he'll be okay," Poppy Pomfrey said. "I've fixed his jaw, which, yes, was fractured, severely. He had a broken wrist as well, also fixed. The ribs though, he's got six broken ones, are best left to heal by themselves, but I did give him a potion to hurry up the process. The bruises I cannot fix either, poor dear, having to face his classmates with his face mangled like that." Remus nodded. He had appareted with Harry immediately, leaving Ron and Hermione to find the port key alone, then he had spoken to Dumbledore via the fireplace and Dumbledore had allowed the school nurse to Floo over immediately. "He'll be back on the Quidditch field in no time." Remus gave her a small smile. "Don't worry, Harry is strong boy. I'll be leaving now, but I'll come back to check on him tomorrow, then the day after that, he'll be back at Hogwart's safe and sound."  
Poppy left at almost the same time Ron and Hermione came crashing down onto his floor.  
"Is he okay?" they asked detangling themselves from one another.  
"He'll be fine," Remus told them. "Madame Pomfrey has just left. Harry should be waking up soon." He heard Hermione sigh as she fell onto the couch, Ron sat in an armchair.  
Remus looked at poor Harry lying on a cot he had conjured up. Remus sighed, noticing some of Harry's features had changed. Harry's cheekbones were no longer smooth as they once had, they were more prominent now, and his face was narrower. Even Harry's hair had become finer, well what Remus could see was left of it, and no longer stuck up in odd places. Remus was certain that Harry features had changed since the last time he'd seen the boy, just at the end of the last school year.  
Remus got up and moved to his kitchen table, he could hear Hermione and Ron talking softly; he was sure about Harry's condition, he didn't believe the his story at all. He had to finish going through paperwork before school started again, he had been offered his old position at Hogwart's. He was going through Lily's old journals, trying to learn as much as he could so he could finish her projects. Lily had been researching possible ways to fight off the three Unforgivable Curses, and as far as he could see had gotten pretty far along with them.  
He opened the top notebook and glanced at the date. It was the day after her and James' wedding.  
  
  
December 29, 1979  
James and I were wed. Thank God that he was willing to do this for me. He alone knows my terrible secret, which I am now so ashamed of. Now that I know who he REALLY is. A monster.  
I'd been interested in him since our school days, terrible I know. I always thought that he was just shy and aloof, that's why he never told me who he really was, or what he really did all those long months while he was away. He swore that he loved me, something now that I don't believe. For, I am pregnant with the child of a Death Eater. James has been a doll though, he was after all my best friend while I was away at Hogwart's. He stood by me, even through my affair with THAT man who is the father of my child.  
But he really won't be for long. James has agreed to adopt the child and call him his own. James said that we all make mistakes and even though we may not be in love, he does in fact love me. He also swore never to reveal the true identity of the father. For I know that if Voldermort were to find out, he would try to claim the child as his own and demand that they child be brought up his way. For I have already heard of it happening so many times. But, my child will never have to endure that, never.  
Nor will he ever learn that his truth father is in fact, Severus Snape.  
  
  
Remus gasped at the last line. Lily was mad when she wrote this? Correct. He flipped through other pages, but Lily was proven to not be mad. In fact, it was all she seemed to write about, how she felt Severus had betrayed her. He put his head in his hands and tried not to sob. He flipped to a later entry, one right after Harry was born.  
  
  
August 7, 1980  
  
I've put a spell on Harry so that he will resemble James until his 16th birthday, it's the strongest one I could find. So on his 16th birthday, I fear he might begin to look like his biological father, even though on paper he is James'. I just hope that I will be able to either create a stronger charm or will be able to find another one.  
  
  
"What are you reading?" someone asked, pulling Remus out of his stupor. He looked up and found Harry standing in front of him.  
  
  
  
"Hermione you better not be making me look like a girl," Harry told her. Hermione smiled and continued to put the concealer on her friends face. He had begged her to use some of her Muggle make-up to cover the bruises, Hermione had happily obliged, realizing how important it was to Harry that he look normal today. She spread a bit more make-up on his face and stood back and looked. He looked mostly normal. There was one particularly dark bruise that still showed through on his jaw line, but Harry still maintained that he'd gotten it from a car crash.  
"I can't cover the bruise on you're jaw, but everything else is covered," she said.   
"Thank you," Harry said. "The last thing I wanted was Seamus and Dean to ask me what nearly killed me this summer." Hermione gave him a weak smile. "Will you do this for me until the bruises fade?"  
"Of course," she said softly. "We don't want the Gryffindors to worry about their Quidditch captain, now do we?"  
"Of course not," Harry replied. They left to room and headed to meet with Ron and Remus in the living room. They'd be leaving soon. 


	2. Potions Class

Chapter Two  
Potions Class  
  
  
Severus Snape, like the year before, had watched Harry during the Welcoming Feast. Even though Harry was probably unaware of it, Severus noticed the way the boy was moving. He sat away from the table, so that his chest touched no part of it and anytime he moved his left arm he would wince. He also noticed the looks that his two side-kicks, Weasley and Granger kept giving each other. There was something going on and Severus wanted to know what it was. Contrary to popular belief, it wasn't to make Potter's life miserable either.   
He let his mind wander to that fateful day, back in Potter's fourth year, when he had learned the truth. He had been going through Potter's file, he had actually been looking for information on Lily, for some reason, he couldn't remember now, but he had stopped when he had uncovered a sheet of paper, that he was sure that Potter himself wasn't aware of. It was an adoption paper. He had at first thought that Potter's Muggle relatives had legally adopted him, but looked closer when he glanced at the date on it, August 6, 1980. That would have been right around the time Potter had been born. He had let his eyes wonder down the page, he saw James' name as Harry's adoptive father, then he saw his own as Harry's birth father. His heart had stopped. He knew that James and Lily had been wed just a month after Lily had found out that he was a Death Eater. James had known about their affair, and for Lily's safety had pretended to date her while she was actually seeing Severus. Lily must have found out she was pregnant and then James had married her.  
"Severus," someone said, snapping him out of his daze. It was Remus Lupin, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He was sitting at Severus' left. "Are you all right?"  
"Fine, Lupin, I'm just fine," he said.  
  
  
Harry sprinted down the hallway. He'd woken up late today, so late in fact; he'd missed breakfast all together. He felt the left side of his face; he knew that the bruises would show today, Hermione wouldn't have a chance to put on the concealer. He found his fellow Gryffindor's waiting outside the Potion's class, all of them looking at him with their eyes wide. He panted, his ribs ached. He moved over next to Ron and Hermione. Hermione pulled a brown bottle out of her bag.   
"Let me try to put a bit of this on," she said softly. She began putting it on his face, Lavender and Parvati came over and helped. He lied to them and told them that he'd been in a car crash during the last week of vacation, they'd believed him, just like Ron, Hermione, and Lupin had. They'd just finished with the make-up when the Slytherins showed up.   
"Well, well, well, if it isn't pretty boy Potter," he heard Malfoy say.   
"Sod off Malfoy," he retorted.  
"I heard an interesting rumor about you over the holidays, Potter," Malfoy said.  
"Shut up," he heard Lavender say.  
"Girls fighting your battles now, eh, Potter?" Malfoy asked. Harry didn't say anything. The Slytherins were smirking. "But that's right you can't even fight off you're Muggle uncle, so of course you'd let Lavender here fight for you. She can probably hit harder than you anyway."  
"Stop it Malfoy, before you regret it," Harry replied. He could feel his anger boiling over, he knew Malfoy was trying to taunt him, but he couldn't help it.  
"What will you do Potter?" Malfoy asked, getting in his face. An evil grin passed over Malfoy's face. "You're too much of a chicken to punch me Potter." Harry didn't say anything; he kept eye contact with Malfoy, not blinking once. The he felt pain in his ribs and his body hit the wall. Malfoy had punched him. Harry passed out.  
  
  
"Do you hear something?" Severus asked Lupin, who he'd been walking with. He had been on his way to his first class of the school year, sixth year Slytherins and Gryffindors, when Remus had stopped him, eager to discuss a new potion for his "problem".   
"I believe its coming from the dungeons, your dungeon in fact," Remus said. The two men looked at each other and began running to where his students should have been waiting patiently. They weren't. A large fist fight had broken out (the tensions between the two houses, specifically in this class had been running high since Voldermort had returned to power) and a few of the students were already showing signs of injury. Brown and Patil both had visible bruises on their face, Granger was wincing, favoring her left wrist, and Malfoy had Weasley pinned to the ground.  
"QUIET!" Severus yelled. They all stopped what they were doing and looked up at the teachers, shocked. He unlocked the door. "Everyone in, now!" They all filed in silently, glaring at each other, which was except Granger, Weasley, and Potter. "I told you all to go in!"  
"Professor, its Harry-" Granger began, but Lupin was already at Harry's side.   
"Go on," he heard Lupin say softly.  
"Malfoy hit him in the ribs, Harry blacked out," Granger told him softly. Tears were welling up in her eyes. Lupin lifted up Harry's school clothes, to reveal his stomach and chest. There were dark purple bruises all over. Severus joined them around Harry, worried. What had happened to him?  
"Don't tell me Malfoy did all this?" Severus asked. He saw the look that Weasley, Granger, and Lupin shared.   
"Harry's was in a car crash," Remus said. "Right before school began. He has six broken ribs. I'll take him to Madame Pomfrey. Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley, go to class. You can visit Harry afterwards." The two of them nodded and went into the classroom. Severus followed them in.  
"I cannot believe the behavior of this class," he began. "Fighting is not permitted at Hogwart's. Mr. Malfoy put your arm down. Now Miss Parkinson would you please tell me how this began." He heard the collective groan from the Gryffindors.  
"Certainly Professor," the pug-faced girl said. "Well, Potter was taunting poor Draco like he-"  
"LIAR!" Patil raged from the other side of the room.  
"Why don't you try telling the truth for once?!" Brown demanded, just as angry.  
"Draco didn't do anything-" Pansy began again.  
"LIAR!" Patil yelled, once again.  
"All three of you HOLD YOUR TOUNGUES!" he yelled. All three girls jumped, though Brown and Patil were still staring daggers at Parkinson. He looked around the room, trying to find someone who wouldn't lie to a teacher, ah, Granger. "Miss Granger, what is your version of the events?"  
"Malfoy came up and started mocking Harry for something. He punched Harry. Ron punched Malfoy, and then the rest of us started to get involved," she said softly. The Gryffindors nodded in agreement. The Slytherins were looking at them with fury, for probably telling the truth.   
"Fifty points from Slytherin for Mr. Malfoy punching Mr. Potter, fifty points from Gryffindor for fighting back, twenty points from Slytherin for Miss Parkinson lying, thirty points to Gryffindor for Miss Brown, Miss Patil, and Miss Granger for telling the truth. Now we have potions to learn."  
  
  
  
"Did Snape just give us points?" Seamus asked as they walked out of Potions.  
"That was almost as good as the day, Moody, Crouch, or whoever he was turned Malfoy into a ferret," Parvati said. Hermione had to agree.  
"Is Harry okay?" Lavender asked after they turned around the corner and away from the sulking Slytherins.  
"I think so," Hermione replied softly. "I can't believe Malfoy punched him though. That was awful." The other Gryffindors nodded in agreement.  
"Don't worry," Dean began. "Malfoy will get his."  
"Slimy git, trying to start rumors about Harry," Ron said. Hermione stayed quiet. She was almost sure that what Malfoy had said was true, as much as she hated to admit it. If Harry had really been in a car crash he would have been taken immediately to the hospital, and not come home. She bit her lip and kept her thoughts to herself. 


	3. Quidditch and Explosions

Chapter Three  
Quidditch and Explosions  
  
  
Harry rounded to the corner to the Great Hall. After spending three days in the hospital wing, Madame Pomfrey had finally decided that he was well enough to join his housemates. He was sure that the nurse though, hadn't believed his car crash story; there was something about the way she looked at him. He had shrugged it off. The good thing about being in the hospital wing was that the bruises on his face were nearly gone, which meant no more make-up.  
He found his fellow sixth years deep in conversation when he reached the table. Parvati, Lavender, and Hermione smiled at him, Dean scooted over so he could sit. Ron however, was looking at him oddly.  
"Your face," Ron said.  
"You didn't think those bruises were going to stay on forever did you?" Harry teased.  
"It's different," Ron said, still gaping at him.  
"Ya I noticed that too, began around my birthday," he said nonchalantly. Ron still had an odd expression on his face, but Harry didn't have time to think about it because Dean had started talking Quidditch to Harry. Dean had replaced Oliver as keeper on the Gryffindor team.  
"We are going to seriously rethink our team," Dean said. "We have to keep up our winning streak, after all, we lost Fred, George, Katie, Alicia, and Angelina all in one year, we'll have to make up for that."  
"I'd thought about that," Harry replied, between bites of chicken. "Ron and Ginny are going to try out."  
"So is Seamus, and I heard something about Colin Creevy," Dean said.  
"We were going to try out too," Lavender said, interrupting their conversation. "Me and Parvati."  
"We'll do anything if it means Gryffindor will beat Slytherin," Parvati said.  
"Is anyone else going to try out?" Harry asked. Dean shook his head.  
"I'll talk to some of the younger Gryffindor's," Dean said. "We'll have to make sure that they know how badly Gryffindor must beat Slytherin."  
  
  
Any fatherly concern Severus had for Harry had now vanished, now that he was healed, and being treated as God's gift to Gryffindor House, by the rest of his house mates. He watched him walk in and then instantly fawned over by his fellow Sixth Years. It took all he had not to roll his eyes.  
Finished with his breakfast, he got up and headed to his dungeons to prepare for the mornings classes. He had the unfortatecy this morning though, of being stuck behind Potter's two sidekicks, who were trying to have a private conversation, but were not being very successful.  
"Ron, you have to believe me," Granger began. "Those injuries didn't come from a car crash."  
"You worry too much," Weasley replied. "Why would Harry lie about it?"  
"Because he's embarrassed about something. You know how he is and how he can be about privacy. The only person I know that's more private than him is Snape," Granger replied. "Something happened to him over the summer."  
"Like you mean with his face," Weasley said, apparently catching onto whatever Granger was trying to tell him.  
"Thank you Ron for finally catching onto the conversation," Granger snapped.   
"What would make Harry change that quickly though?" Weasley pondered. "His face is pointy and his cheek bones are all funky and he's going bald." He heard Granger make a tutting noise.  
"His hair has obviously been ripped out, couldn't you tell? That and its much finer," Granger said, Severus could almost here the girl rolling her eyes.   
"Whatever, you still worry too much," Weasley said. Severus brushed passed them in the hallway, he didn't like where this conversation was going, and Granger was too smart for her own good. He made his way to his classroom where second year Hufflepuffs and Slytherins were waiting for him. He almost felt sorry for them, almost.  
  
  
  
"Would the two of you quit looking at me like I've grown a second head," Harry snapped at the end of their morning classes. Hermione jumped at his tone of voice, Harry usually never used that tone with either of them, that tone was usually reserved for the Creevys.   
"We're just worried," Ron said.   
"Well stop it, I'm a big boy," Harry told them. Ron shared a look with Hermione.  
"Why is some of your hair pulled out than Harry?" Hermione asked. Harry gave her an extremely dirty look.  
"Because, because, it's none of you damn business!" Harry exploded. He walked away, towards the Great Hall.  
"What is his problem?" someone asked from behind them. It was Lavender with the rest of their year Gryffindors.   
"What did you guys say to him?" Neville asked his eyes wide. "He hasn't been that angry since, well, since ever."  
"I have no idea," Hermione said. "He defiantly has a shorter fuse than what he did last year."  
"That much is obvious," Parvati said. They rounded the corner to the Great Hall.  
"Remind me not to make him angry," Seamus said.  
"I'm worried though," Hermione began; her head working overtime, a million things were floating in her head of why Harry would act this way. "This is not normal character for him."  
"Shut up," Ron muttered, once Harry was in earshot.   
  
  
Harry poured over his History of Magic homework; Hermione and Ron really were driving him nuts. Either they were treating him like the plague, or they were mothering over him. It was enough to drive anyone mad. He looked up from his spot in the corner of the Great Hall, and saw the rest of the Sixth Years heading towards them. Apparently, from the looks on their faces, they had seen his explosion in the hallway. He saw them watching him from the corner of his eyes, and they smartly sat a few seats away from him. They were talking about Potions, Snape had assigned them so much homework, and it wasn't even funny.   
"He hates us, that's all there is too it. I asked Padma if she ever gets this homework, and she said no," Parvati was saying.  
"Damn Snape," Ron muttered.  
"I don't get this," Dean said. "To make the potion do we add the belladonna while we stir it, or do we add it after we've stirred it half way?"   
"How about we tell Snape to do it himself?" Seamus said. The boys sniggered, Hermione gave an exasperated sigh.  
"Dean," Harry began, the answer coming to him. "It's while you stir."  
"How in Merlin's name did you know that Harry?" Dean asked.  
"No clue," Harry replied. "It just came to me."  
"Maybe Dean," Lavender began. "Harry actually studies, unlike you." Lavender winked at Harry. Harry smiled and returned to his book.  
  
  
"Harry can I talk to you?" Lavender finally managed to courage to ask, as she watched Harry begin to get up and leave. She too was a bit worried about him, but she knew the way about it. She had deduced that Harry might be suffering from some sort of depression. She had recognized the symptoms, after all her mother had suffered from the same thing since she could remember.  
"Sure Lavender," Harry replied, giving her a smile. Hermione shot Lavender a suspicious look, but she ignored it. She knew that Hermione thought that she was an idiot. She waited until they were out of the Great Hall to begin speaking.  
"Did you have a good holiday?" Lavender asked. Harry shrugged.  
"The normal," Harry said quietly.  
"That good?" Lavender teased. He shrugged again, apparently not wanting to talk about it. This conversation was not going where she wanted it to go.  
"Oh, look, its Potter and his girlfriend," she heard someone say, knowing exactly who it was before she turned around, Malfoy.  
"Sod off," Harry spat.  
"I don't think so," Malfoy said, a look of utter contempt on his face. He snapped. Crabbe and Goyle were at his side instantly. Lavender looked around, she didn't like where this was headed at all, and neither did Harry, taking in the look on his face.  
"What do you want?" Harry demanded.  
"Oh, come off it Potter, like you don't know," Malfoy said.  
"Go away Malfoy," Lavender managed to say.  
"Awww, is a girl going to fight your battle again?" Malfoy teased. Crabbe and Goyle snickered.  
"Would you just shut your nasty little mouth?" Harry spat. He and Malfoy were inching closer and closer. There were footsteps behind them, and Lavender turned around.  
"Snape," she hissed. Malfoy and Harry both turned around, and quickly separated.  
"Is there a problem here?" Snape asked, looking closely at both of them.   
Great, Lavender thought, here go fifty points from Gryffindor.  
"No, nothing Professor," Malfoy said. Harry and Malfoy shot another dirty looks at each other. Snape looked at both of them suspiciously.  
  
  
"Well, I'm going to leave early for Charms," Hermione said. "I've got a question for Flitwick." Ron rolled his eyes and watched Hermione leave.   
"Good she's gone," Dean said.  
"I thought that you liked Hermione," Parvati said, confused.  
"Oh, I do," Dean began. "But you can't really talk about anything that could possibly get us in trouble in front of her."  
"So you've got a plan for the slimy git than?" Ron asked, grinning.  
"Oh ya," Seamus said. "We were talking about it last night, while the rest of you were asleep."  
"So what is it?" Neville asked.  
"Remember in second year when someone threw a firework into one of the cauldrons?" Dean asked grinning wickedly. Ron kept from laughing, that had been Harry. "Well since we're making truth potion this Friday, I figured that we do that to Malfoy's."  
"That is awful!" Parvati said. "I love it!"  
"That's going to be tricky, but its going to work. We get Malfoy to spill his guts," Ron said. "What do we need to do?" 


	4. Retaliation

Chapter Four  
Retaliation  
  
  
BOOM! The explosion during their Potions class startled Harry from his Potion. He looked around; Malfoy was covered in potion, along with most of the other Slytherins. The Gryffindors were trying hard not to laugh. Although when Harry caught Dean's eye he winked. Harry looked around the classroom in bewilderment, what exactly had happened. He looked at Hermione who he'd been working with and she shrugged. Snape looked furious from the front. He walked over to Malfoy's cauldron.  
"Are you all right Mr. Malfoy?" Snape asked.   
"Yes," Malfoy replied.  
"Everyone else all right?" he asked looking around at the Slytherins. They nodded; Snape looked in Malfoy's cauldron and pulled out the remainder of a firework. Harry felt his jaw drop. "Who did this?" Snape was looking at the Gryffindors. No one said anything. "I said WHO DID THIS?" Again, silence. He looked at Malfoy. "Did you see who did this?"   
"No Professor."  
Snape looked at them all and rubbed his face. He looked back at the Gryffindors. "If any of you did this, I WILL find out, and that person will be expelled." They all nodded. The bell rang and they exited their class. Harry saw Dean, Seamus, Neville, Parvati, and Ron corner Malfoy immediately. He, Hermione, and Lavender looked at each other confused.  
"So, Malfoy how is your dad? All good on the You-Know-Who circuit?" Ron asked.  
"Yes," Malfoy admitted.  
"Did you swallow some of the Truth Potion?" Dean asked.  
"Yes."  
"So you have to tell us the truth?" Neville asked.  
"Yes." He watched the Gryffindors share wicked smiles, and Harry felt one on his own face.  
"So, why do you hate Harry so much?" Parvati asked.  
"Because I'm jealous."   
"Excellent answer, Malfoy, excellent," Ron said.  
"So do you really like Pansy, because you know she is really ugly," Seamus said.  
"Yes, I like her."  
"That's really gross Malfoy," Hermione said over the boys.  
"Why did you try to say Harry was beat by his uncle?" Ron asked.  
"I overheard Lupin talking to Madame Pomfrey right after the feast," Malfoy began. "And they said that they thought that Potter was lying about the car crash." Harry looked up at the ceiling, so he wouldn't see the curious looks from his housemates.  
"Is there a problem?" someone asked. They all turned around startled. Snape was leering at all of them.  
"No problem, Professor," Hermione said quickly.   
"Are you all right Mr. Malfoy?" Snape asked. Malfoy nodded. Snape walked away, still looking at them all.  
"So Malfoy, I say we've had enough of questioning you," Seamus said. "However, just remember this, if you and the rest of the stupid Slytherins try to pull any more crap, or say anything to Harry, or try to retaliate, we'll get you back twice as good." Malfoy looked at them scared. Ron pushed his down the corridor.  
"That was informative," Parvati said, watching Malfoy walk away.  
  
  
  
It had been a week since the Truth Potion exploded, and the Slytherins had yet to retaliate. Ron came down to see Harry hanging up a sign, Dean smiling happily behind him.  
"Quidditch tryout results!" Dean yelled happily. Harry and Dean were instantly surrounded.  
"Well done Ron!" someone yelled. He looked to see, it was Hermione who had yelled it. He pushed his way to the front, and saw the sign.  
  
Seeker- Harry Potter, Captain  
Keeper- Dean Thomas  
Beaters- Ron Weasley, Seamus Finnigan  
Chasers- Ginny Weasley, Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil  
  
Practices will be every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 6:30-8:30  
Extra Practices will be called if necessary  
  
"Well done all of you!" Harry yelled over the din of the Common Room. "The first game is versus Hufflepuff, November 3!" Everyone yelled, even though not everyone had made the team. "I'll be notifying those of you on the reserve team, as soon as I can." Ron watched as Harry made his way over to him. "Well done! Fred and George will be proud!"  
"I know. I can't believe that I've made the team," Ron said in disbelief, he was still having trouble realizing that he'd made the Quidditch team.   
"Just make sure that you aim the Bludgers right for Malfoy's ugly head," Harry said a rare grin on his face. "It might improve his looks."   
  
  
  
Remus looked from Severus to Harry all through the dinner meal. Harry was, once again, being his normal self, probably talking Quidditch with the rest of his housemates. Severus however was pushing his food around his plate, deep in thought. Remus took a bite of his chicken, wondering if the man knew about Harry. It had been eating at him since he'd found out.   
He looked from one of them to the other, and decided that tonight, he would confront Severus. He couldn't deal with being the only one knowing the truth.  
"Severus," he said, across the table. Severus looked up.   
"Yes?"  
"I would like a word after dinner, if that's possible," he said. Severus nodded. Lupin took a deep breath; it was time for the truth to be known.  
  
  
Hermione, Ron, and Harry walked down the hallway to Gryffindor Tower after dinner. Harry's mood had taken a drastic change in the last week. He was no longer biting peoples head off, but being his friendly normal self. Ron and Harry were deeply immersed in Quidditch talk, while she half listened. They were almost to the Tower when out the shadows, Malfoy with his two side kicks appeared in front of them.  
"You're little stunt was cute," Malfoy said.  
"No clue what you're talking about," Ron said, trying to get passed the three of them. They blocked the hallway.  
"Where are you going Weasley?" Malfoy said.  
Crabbe and Goyle began closing in on the sides. Hermione felt her heart began to race; this was the retaliation that she'd been expecting. Ron and Harry looked at each other and then at her, they had pulled out their wands.  
"I'll take the Mudblood," Malfoy said. "Crabbe you take Weasley, Goyle you take Potter." Hermione felt her heart beat even faster.  
"That's a real good way to show off your manliness, Malfoy," Harry spat. "Beat up a girl." Malfoy just smirked. Ron gave her a worried look and mouthed "run". She nodded and tore down the hallway, the sounds of a scuffle, breaking out behind her. She ran to the Great Hall, but it was empty.  
"Bloody hell," she muttered. She raced down yet another corridor, and found herself by the Staff Room.   
"-you know then, that you're Harry's father," Lupin was saying to Professor Snape, was the first thing that Hermione heard when she burst into the Staff Room. She looked at both of them horrified, but not quite as horrified as Professor Snape was looking at her.  
"MISS GRANGER!" Snape bellowed.  
"Professors, Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle…Ron, Harry sent me for help," she panted.   
"Not again," she heard Lupin mutter. Hermione, followed by Snape and Lupin raced off back to where she had left Ron and Harry. They were leaning up against the wall; Harry's was rubbing his jaw, Ron wincing in pain.   
"Where did they go?" Hermione asked.  
"To look for you," Harry said. "They said that you were going to get yours. They think that we were the ones that threw that firework in Snape's class last Friday."  
"Harry, Ron, are you two okay?" Lupin asked. They both nodded. "I still want you to go to the hospital wing. I'll take care of Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Crabbe, and Mr. Goyle."  
"And Miss Granger," Snape said. "I'll need a word with you." Harry and Ron sent her a worried look, Hermione bit her lower lip. Snape was going to let her have it.  
  
  
  
Severus led Granger to his office. She had to come bursting into the Staff Room at the least opportune time. He sighed. He sat down at his desk, she sat across from them.  
"Professor," she began, immediately. "I am so sorry; I never meant to interrupt your conversation with Professor Lupin. I was just worried about Ron and Harry, and I knew that they would need someone to help them as soon as possible."  
"Miss Granger," Severus began, thinking his words over, very carefully. "I realize the concern you have for your friends, but you should have knocked." That way you wouldn't know about Harry, he screamed at the girl silently. Still, as harsh as he was, he couldn't be mad at the girl. She clearly had been thinking of her friends.  
"I know," she said, looking down at her feet.  
"I am going to have to ask you to keep what you overheard a secret," Severus began. "Do not tell anyone, not even Potter or Weasley. No one is to ever know." She nodded.  
"So is that why Harry's been different?" she asked meekly.  
"How do you mean different?" Severus asked intrigued.  
"Well, his face has changed, some, and he has really bad mood swings," Granger explained.  
"Then yes," Severus said. "However, I don't want you to think that everyone has been lying to Harry his whole life. James did adopt Harry, and technically James is Harry's father. But I am his biological father." Granger nodded. "You may go now. Your detention for your intrusion will be two weeks from Wednesday, down in the dungeons." She nodded and left. He hoped that Granger could keep her mouth shut, for once in her life. 


	5. Garden Snakes

Chapter Five  
Garden Snakes  
  
  
  
"Malfoy did WHAT?!" Dean yelled when Harry and Ron had come back to the Common Room.  
"That slimy git," Seamus said angrily.   
"Are you two okay?" Parvati asked them. Harry nodded. Goyle's beating had been nothing like his uncle's which was good, plus Harry had managed to get in a few punches of his own.  
"We seriously need a plan," Ron said. "We can't let them get away with it."   
"What can beat the Truth potion though?" Neville asked thoughtfully. They all looked at each other for a long time. Finally Lavender got a wicked grin on her face.  
"Harry, you and Ron know some of the house elves don't you?" she asked. Harry and Ron nodded. "Well the house elves change the bedding in each of the houses, correct?" They nodded again. "What if we get them to put a lovely surprise in their beds?"   
"What do you mean?" Seamus asked.  
"The mascot for the Slytherin house is a serpent, right?" Lavender asked.  
"We can't put SERPENTS in their beds, we'd get expelled!" Parvati said, looking at her friend with wide eyes.  
"Obviously. But we can put garden snakes in their beds, they're harmless," Lavender said. The Gryffindors looked at each other.  
"You're crazy," Harry said. "But I like the plan."  
"Let's wait a week or so," Dean said. "We'll make them think that we've given up." They all grinned at each other again, but were interrupted by the Fat Lady slamming close. Hermione had come into the Common Room. Her face was splotchy.  
"Hermione?" Harry asked concerned. She didn't say anything, she just ran up the steps.   
"What's up with her?" Ron asked. "Do you think Snape with especially evil?"  
"Probably," Parvati said, looking worried as well. "Lavender and I will go up and check on her."  
"If Snape's done anything to her, I'll kill him," Ron muttered.  
  
  
Hermione moved the food on her plate around. She had no interest in eating. In fact, she'd had no interest in even getting out of bed this morning. She spend most of the night, lying awake, still bewildered by the information she'd had the unfortunancy of overhearing.   
"You all right Hermione?" someone asked. She looked up to see Dean sitting down across from her.  
"Fine," she said softly. She rested her head on her arm and kept playing with her food. Snape was Harry's real father. It was almost too unbelievable, but then it made sense. All of the changes Harry had gone through this summer and the end of last year, his privacy issues, his face changing, his mood swings. Now they all made sense. Why hadn't she seen it before? Because you didn't want to, it wasn't that obvious, her voice yelled into her head. She brushed her hair out of her face and looked at Harry. He was leaning over the table talking to Lavender and Parvati; they both look engrossed in what he was saying. He was moving his arms around and then pointing at them, probably talking Quidditch. He said something, the two girls laughed. Hermione sighed. If he only knew, she was sure that he would not be flirting with Lavender and Parvati. He would probably lock himself in his dorm and blast everyone that bothered him. She sighed again, and fought back the urge to break out in tears.  
She let her eyes wonder from Harry and they flickered onto the staff table where her eyes immediately caught Snape's. She felt herself about to cry and ran out of the Great Hall, running over Professor Lupin and Ron in the process.  
"What is wrong with her?" she could hear Ron asking.  
  
  
"Has anyone seen Miss Granger?" Severus asked his class of Sixth Year Gryffindors and Slytherins.  
"She rushed off to the girls' toilet during breakfast," Patil said.  
"Maybe she drowned?" Parkinson said snidely from across the room. "No, we couldn't get that lucky."  
"Shut your mouth you ugly girl," Brown spat.   
"At least I don't fancy Finnigan!" Parkinson yelled.  
"At least I don't look like the backside of a dog!" Brown yelled. Parkinson stood up, slamming her books on the desk. Brown stood up as well. He realized that he had to stop this before he had to deal with yet another brawl.  
"All of you HOLD YOUR TONGUES!" Snape said snidely, wondering where Granger had gone to. She was sure that the news she had overheard had upset her. He began going into an explanation of the potion that they would be making that day, but was interrupted when Granger came in. "Nice of you to join us today. Five points from Gryffindor." Granger didn't say anything, but sat next to Patil. Weasley and Potter exchanged looks.  
"I thought a Prefect like you would be on time!" Malfoy catcalled from his side of the dungeon.  
"Shut your face Malfoy!" Potter yelled back.   
"WOULD YOU ALL SHUT UP!" Severus roared. "THIS IS A CLASSROOM! IF THERE IS ANOTHER OUTBURST FROM THIS CLASS, THE PERSON WILL BE SERVING DETENTION EVERYDAY FOR THE REST OF THE SCHOOL YEAR! IS THAT CLEAR?!" After that, no one said anything. The bell rang, and they ran out of class. Severus put his head in his hands. They were almost getting to be too much to handle. He heard footsteps in his dungeon, dreading to see who it was.   
"Let me guess, sixth years?" the person asked. He looked up to see Lupin.  
"How did you guess?" he replied snidely.  
"No other class stresses the staff out more than they do," Lupin replied. "Did you see Hermione today?"  
"She came to class late, hardly model behavior for a Prefect," he said stiffly.  
"Do you know why she came to class? Or do you even care?" Lupin asked.  
"Patil said she was in the girls' toilet."  
"Exactly. On my way to breakfast this morning, the girl almost knocked me on the floor she was so upset. What she overheard is going to kill her. She'll tell Harry or Ron eventually. The three of them are like that."  
"So what? That's not my problem; neither of them will believe her. The story is ludicrous." Severus looked down on the floor. "The very idea of Potter not being James' is bizarre at best." Lupin didn't say anything for a moment. Severus knew that he was trying to build up the courage to say something. He was all too predictable.  
"Do you even care that Harry is your son? Do you even want anything to do with him?"  
"He is my son by birth, but not legally. Legally we have no relation, which is exactly how I want to keep it. He's got a family."  
"A family?" Lupin asked, Severus noticed that his eyes suddenly go big. "You call those…those…those PEOPLE that he lives with a family?" He looked at Lupin, not exactly sure where this conversation was headed.   
"He is related to them, they are Lily's kin," Severus said. "As far as I'm concerned, Potter is just a nasty little boy, who is not my son." Lupin just gave him a look of total disbelief and walked away.  
  
  
"Well, well if it isn't Perfect Potter," Harry heard a voice say. He had been walking with the rest of the Quidditch team to practice, and he turned around to see Malfoy standing behind him.  
"What do you want?" Harry turned around, already annoyed.   
"Just wanted to make sure that our favorite Mudblood was all right, but she's probably off crying in the girls' toilet, isn't she? What's the matter Potter? Did you finally break it off with her for good?" Malfoy sneered at him snidely.  
"Sod off you prat," Harry said, his anger rising. Lately it hadn't taken much for his anger to rise, and he knew that it was near volatile levels.  
"Don't let him bother you," Lavender muttered beside him. "He wants to make you mad."  
"Aw, Potter, you're girlfriend is speaking for you again," Malfoy said, mocking him.   
"Just shut up!" Parvati shrieked, somewhere behind Harry. "You've caused enough problems already this year."  
"Boy Potter you sure do have a way with the ladies. Or maybe it's because you can't stand up for yourself?" Malfoy's eyes glistened with malicious intent. Harry dropped his broom and took a step towards Malfoy.  
"I wasn't the one who was going to beat up Hermione," Harry spat.   
"Malfoy was what?!" Dean roared from the back of the group, he pushed his way forward.  
"Oh that's manly Malfoy," Ginny Weasley put in.   
"Shut up Weasel," Malfoy said, shooting her a venomous look.   
"Don't tell her to shut up," Ron snapped. "Especially when you're so grossly outnumbered." Malfoy gave them all an evil grin and snapped his fingers, the Slytherins appeared from everywhere. Harry's adrenaline began rushing through his veins, waiting for the brawl to start. Harry was circling with Malfoy when he felt himself pushed from the side.   
"Would you just stop!" the person yelled. He looked to see their fellow Sixth year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, had stormed the field, separating the two houses. Padma Patil had been the one to push him and yell.  
"This is stupid, all of you," she said. She turned to the Slytherins. "Go up to the castle now, they're practicing Quidditch. And you." She turned to the Gryffindors. "Ignore them, they're not worth it."  
  
  
The next two weeks went without incident. Tensions were still running high and the Gryffindors had finally put the garden snake plan into action. They discovered that putting the snakes in the Slytherins bedding would be virtually impossible, so they opted for the next best thing. They were going to put the snakes in the Slytherins bags during breakfast. Seamus had noticed that the Slytherins always put their bags up against the wall during breakfast, and they found that at that time would be a perfect opportunity. Harry would talk to the snakes before they went to breakfast telling them exactly what to do once they left their box, and they would place the box on the Slytherin side of the Great Hall. Hermione had charmed the box to disappear once the snakes had left it. The Gryffindors tried their damndest not to laugh when the Slytherins began shrieking during Potions. It took everyone's effort not to laugh, even though they all suspected that Snape knew they'd done it. After that, it had been a peaceful two weeks, the Slytherins hadn't tried to retaliate at all yet, but Hermione expected it. Hermione however, had not had a peaceful two weeks, she'd drawn more and more into herself, and she supposed that Ron and Harry were worried. But she knew she couldn't tell them.  
Lupin held her back in class one Thursday.  
"Miss Granger, Hermione," Lupin began. "Are you all right? Your grades seem to be slipping." She didn't say anything. "It's about Harry isn't it?" Hermione nodded. Lupin looked at her thoughtfully. "I feel awful keeping it from him as well. But I have a plan, which will hopefully alieve both of our consciences." Hermione listened, as Lupin explained to her exactly what he wanted her to do.  
  
  
Next Time: Lupin's Plan goes into action  
A/N: Sorry this chapter is kinda short. I was running out of ideas to make it longer. I guess its one of those dreaded filler chapters. Sigh.  
KUDOS: hermionegranger, mystical, coqui, why thank you, NotQuiteFamous, thanks, I know that basically they are all the same story, retold in seperate ways, but thanks anyway, ¬¬R¬¬, Jaimie C. JC, Sharon, this is the stuff I think about before fall asleep, and I wonder why I have such messed up dreams, mystical, thanks again…sometimes I think I either move too quickly or too slowly, but thanks to loyal readers like you…I realize that I'm fine. 


	6. I Promise

Chapter Six  
I Promise  
  
  
"The Quidditch game is cancelled?!" Dean bellowed in Harry's ear.  
"It's postponed anyway," Harry replied, rubbing his ear. "McGonagall says that the conditions are too severe, even for a Quidditch match." There had been a freak snow storm the night before, dumping close to three feet of snow on the grounds, along with extreme cold. "We'll be playing at the end of the month, the weekend after the Slytherin/Ravenclaw game."  
"I hope Slytherin gets beat," Lavender said.  
"So do I," Ron said. "Stupid sodding Malfoy." Harry rolled his eyes and made his way back to his dormitory. Instead of playing Quidditch he could spend the day doing his much hated Potions homework. On his way up the stair case, he spotted Hermione, who had all but become a recluse in the last few weeks.   
"Mione?" he asked. She looked up, startled, and an odd expression came over her face. The emotion that filled her face was almost…pity. Why would Hermione be pitying him? Too freaked out to continue any sort of conversation, Harry ran the rest of the way up the steps.  
  
  
Hermione went back to her book, unable to read. She knew that Harry suspected something. She sighed, and then thought of the plan Professor Lupin and she had agreed on. She was supposed to tell Ron, insuring that Ron would tell Harry. After all Ron had a bigger mouth than Parvati. She looked over the edge of her book and caught Ron staring at her. Like Harry, she knew that Ron too suspected something. She closed her book, and began walking out of the Common Room.   
She heard footsteps behind her, and saw Ron running to catch up.  
"It's not safe to wonder out alone," Ron said. "The Slytherins are bound to retaliate anytime. It's been two weeks, and nothing."  
Now was the time to hone her acting skills. "I know…it's just, that well, I need to go somewhere to, erm, you know think. I've got a lot on my mind." She blinked a couple of times and looked away.  
"What is it?" Ron asked his voice a bit husky. She turned to look at him and his blue eyes were full of concern.  
"I can't tell you," she said softly, forgetting that she was acting. It seemed all too real right now, Ron's concern, Ron's eyes, Ron's…stop it. Ron pushed her hair out of her face, and Hermione felt electricity flow through her body. Why hadn't she seen Ron like this before?  
"Please tell me," he replied, his voice even softer.  
She looked up at him again. "Promise you won't tell?" He nodded. "I know that it's going to sound a bit ludicrous, but Ron, it's true."  
"What's true?"  
"Snape is Harry's dad."  
The moment she and Ron had was suddenly broken. Ron's eyes flashed. "What in the name of bloody hell?!"  
"Ron believe me, I heard Snape and Lupin talking about it the night that Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle cornered us."  
"Does Harry know?"   
"Of course not! That's why you can't tell him." Ron looked down at her again; she felt the warmness cover her body again.   
"Hermione," Ron began. She shivered slightly when she heard him say her name. "I promise." She looked up at him again, but he was gone. She saw his retreating back headed towards the tower.  
"Dammit Granger," she thought. "You cannot be falling for Ron."  
  
  
"Where'd you go?" Harry asked Ron as soon as Ron came back into the Common Room. "I thought that we were going to do Potions together."   
"Oh, ya," Ron said. He stumbled up to his dormitory, his mind still full of thoughts. Snape was Harry's dad. It was truly bizarre. He grabbed his Potions book and headed back down the steps, unsure of what to say to his friend. Harry looked up when Ron came back in the room and smiled. Ron felt a stab of guilt. He was wondering weither or not to tell Harry. Then he remembered his promise to Hermione, and decided not to.  
  
  
"I am seriously wondering what is going through their thick heads," Seamus said three weeks later, and on the morning of the rescheduled Hufflepuff/Gryffindor Quidditch match. "They've been too quiet."  
"Ya think," Harry replied. He too had been pondering the Slytherins' lack of retaliation.   
"Its today, I can feel it," Dean said, joining them at the breakfast table.  
"What's today?" Seamus asked.  
"The Slytherins. Today they are going to retaliate," Dean said.   
"Whatever," Ron said; he too had come to join them at the table.   
"Don't talk like that," Harry said softly so that only Dean could hear him. "They're stressed out enough as it is. We don't need to worry them any further." Dean nodded and ate a piece of toast. Breakfast flew by and one by one the rest of the Quidditch team came down to eat. All of them were in various shades of nervousness, and Lavender had refused to eat a thing. They all made their way to the pitch.   
"Okay, team," Harry said as they waited in their locker room. "We're a good team, the best. If we play like we have practiced, then Hufflepuff will be a total pushover. And, erm that's it. Let's go."  
"Awesome speech Potter," Dean teased as they lined up to fly out onto the field.  
"Shut up," Harry replied.  
They flew out onto the field, and everything was going well. That was until Harry spotted the Snitch. He grabbed it and then fell into darkness.  
  
  
Next Time: Harry has a bad reaction  
A/N : I know its short, but forgive me. This is all I could handle for this chap!  
KUDOS: mystical, yes you are def my most loyal reader, Snape can't prove that they let the snakes lose so he won't take points or anything, plus he's a bit stressed right now really, Lady Lightning, ginger_pop, Prophetess of Hearts, that would be funny, but at the same time a bit of a dead give away. Sigh. 


	7. The Infirmary

Chapter Seven  
The Infirmary  
  
  
In a flash of an instant, Severus stood up and ran to the field with the other teachers. They'd watch Harry catch the Snitch, then immediately pass out. The players from both teams had immediately landed and were know surrounding him. Most of the Gryffindors had also run down to the Pitch. Severus pushed his way through the midst of the people. He wanted to get to his son.   
Granger was trying to get everyone out of the way, no doubt getting ready to conjure a stretcher to take him to Pomfrey. Severus pushed them all aside and carried his son up to the infirmary.  
  
  
  
"I TOLD Harry!" Dean shouted during the chaos on the Quidditch field.  
"I am going to crack every bone in Malfoy's body!" Seamus yelled.  
"It's got be them Ron," Lavender chimed in. Ron shook his head in disbelief. He had just watched his best friend fall thirty feet from the air, and was still in shock.  
"It's the fucking Slytherins," Parvati hissed, nudging Ron. He saw the whole Quidditch team headed towards them. Seamus and Dean tore off towards them, Ron wasn't far behind. He could hear the pounding of steps behind him; it was the same as the pounding in his head. He took one good look at Malfoy and pushed Dean and Seamus aside. With one good punch, Malfoy was laying, passed out on the grass.  
"Ron!" Hermione shrieked, pulling his arm back, to stop him from punching the unconscious Malfoy again.  
"I saw him Hermione," Neville said. "He pulled out his wand as soon as Harry grabbed the Snitch."  
"Still, Ron, hitting Malfoy like that," Hermione said. Ron felt like punching her now. Had she just not seen what happened to Harry? She kept trying to talk to him, but he tore off to the castle, not hearing anything she was saying. Blindly, he made his way to the infirmary. Snape and Lupin were crowded around Harry's body.  
  
  
  
Confusion was rampant in the Quidditch pitch; people were screaming and running everywhere. Lavender had latched onto the back of Seamus' robes; however she was having problems keeping up.  
"What the hell just happened?" Ginny yelled, somewhere behind her.  
Lavender had seen Ron punch Malfoy, a few of the Slytherins decided to levitate Malfoy's body, so it wouldn't be crushed. Seamus was now headed up the hill, everyone had totally freaked out after Harry passed out. Dean was somewhere behind him, she was sure the rest of the team was headed one place, the hospital wing. She and Seamus ran up the steps, and almost into Hermione, who was too headed up to the infirmary.  
"Is he okay?" Seamus panted. Hermione shrugged and looked pale. The three of them ran into the infirmary, almost knocking Ron, who had stopped in front of the door over. Lupin and Snape were sitting by Harry's bedside. Harry was in the bed still, holding onto the Snitch, as if his life depended on it. He was unconscious. There was a push, Lavender looked over to see Ginny, Parvati, and Dean had joined them in the infirmary. They all shared curious glances, no one dared to talk. Lupin and Snape still hadn't acknowledged that any of them were there. She shared a worried look with Hermione, who know had tears streaming down her face.  
Someone else pushed her from behind, and the Gryffindors turned around to see the Slytherins with the floating Malfoy, had entered the infirmary.  
"Someone hold Ron back!" Parvati shrieked once they arrived. Seamus and Dean quickly grabbed Ron's arms, while he struggled to get free. The teachers finally realized they were there and looked at them.  
"What are you all doing here?" Snape demanded. "And what happened to Mr. Malfoy?" Everyone began speaking at once; Ron screamed something that was luckily drowned out by Crabbe who was saying that Ron had lost his mind. Parvati was screaming at Pansy, something she had done a lot of lately. Hermione was in tears, Lavender put her arm around her dorm mate, hoping to calm her down. Finally Snape yelled to break it up.  
"Do any of you know what happened to Mr. Potter?" Lupin asked.   
"I do!" cried someone at the very back of the crowd, it was Neville. He pushed himself through the Slytherins, all of which looked like they wanted to punch him, and made his way to the safety of the Gryffindor comrades. "As soon as Harry grabbed the Snitch, Malfoy took out his wand and cursed Harry."  
"Are you sure Longbottom?" Snape asked, sounding as if he didn't really believe Neville.  
"Positive," Neville replied.  
"Where is Mr. Malfoy?" Lupin asked. They all looked at each other. "We need to know the spell he put on Harry."  
"Well, Ron kind of punched him, and he's out cold," Seamus finally said.  
  
  
  
"They are going to be the end of us all," Severus said once they had ushered all of the Sixth Years out.   
"They were worse than our class," Remus muttered, thinking of all the pranks he and his friends had pulled. He watched Severus rub his face. "He'll be fine. Don't worry."  
"Don't worry? Don't worry?!," Severus said in a voice of disbelief. "I just watched my son fall 30 feet out of the air and you're telling me not to worry."  
"I thought that he wasn't your son?" Remus teased. Severus shot him an extremely nasty look.  
"I was wrong okay?"   
"Apparently." They were silent for a few moments. "We need to tell the Headmaster about it."  
"He knows," Severus said.   
"I mean about you being Harry's father," Remus said, rolling his eyes.  
"Do you think it wise, he'll want to tell Harry. And I know that you don't want Harry to find out right now, anyway."  
"We should go tell Albus, in fact, I will do that now. I've been putting this off for too long, and now its time to bite the bullet," Severus said, sighing. "Before you even ask, I'll tell Harry before Christmas holidays." Remus watched Severus turn and leave them room, and then turned to where Harry was lying. But Harry wasn't lying, in fact he was sitting up, looking furious.  
"You have a LOT of explaining to do," Harry spat.  
  
  
  
Severus sighed. He was finally biting the bullet and telling Albus. He walked the familiar path to Albus' office, wondering how he would tell Harry. Would he sit him down or would he just blurt it out? Or maybe write him a letter? However he did it though Severus was sure that Harry would not be happy. He reached the office, and gave the password. He headed up the steps and found Albus sitting at his desk.  
"Yes Severus?" Albus said without looking up.  
"I have, erm, news about Mr. Potter," Severus said. Albus looked at him and smiled.  
"If you are going to tell me about Harry's true parentage, I already know," he said. Severus was shocked. How could have already known. "I heard Miss Granger tell Mr. Weasley." Severus was going to kill Granger next time he saw her.  
  
  
  
Next Time: Snape has a chat with Hermione, Ron, and Lupin  
A/N: Wow you guys really like me! *blushes*  
KUDOS: Aqua Child, thankels, White Lion, well I hope this clears up a bit, it was Malfoy, most people are put off by short chapters, but I'm glad that you aren't, sometimes they need to be short and sweet, plus if they are long, they end up crappier, well mine do, Severitus, the queen of Snape as Harry's dad fics reviewing my lil story, *blushes* and then saying my chap was excellent *blushes even more*, I hope this clears everything up, don't worry though, this fic is far from over, Nicky, here's an update, ladysaturn, I know I know, no one likes the cliffhanger, but they are so much fun to write mwahahahahahaha! hehe, PViptertooth, no not a portkey and thanks I'm not a big HG/RW ship fan, but I thought that it fit nicely in this story, Lady Lightning, here you go, mystical, yes I understand, you should have seen me when I saw the trailer for Chamber of Secrets, I was in such the HP mood, I had even made a HP layout for my website, and the reason he fall is explained up top…well in the story, Prophetess of Hearts, not in this story love, sorry, Saavik, yes I did have to leave a cliffie, because I am evil like that or something, or I just like to think I am evil, its probably the second one, sigh, madwoman, yay I am going on a fave list, yayness, no Harry isn't going to have a hooked nose, I don't think he's going to change much more, sniff sniff… 


	8. The Astronomy Tower

Chapter Eight  
The Astronomy Tower  
  
  
Harry had woken up to the worst news of his entire life, well since he'd woken up at the Dursley's, but he couldn't remember that. He knew that Snape and Lupin had thought he was asleep, but he wasn't far from it. He'd always wondered what people said while he was out in the hospital wing, and now he wished he hadn't. Oh how he wished he hadn't.  
"Harry!" Lupin finally said, his face was shocked.   
"Explain," Harry spat, angry and feeling more alone than he had his entire life. Remus rubbed his face. His whole life had been a total lie. James Potter wasn't his father.   
"Don't you want Severus in here as well?"   
"No, explain," Harry spat once again, leveling his teacher with a glare.   
"I'll tell you what I know," Lupin said, softly. "This summer I was going through a few of your mother's things, I found out that she and Severus, well…you get the idea. She found out later that Severus was indeed a Death Eater and that she was pregnant, so she went to James, her best friend, for help. James, who had been hopelessly in love with your mother for years, offered to marry her, and they did. You were born and James adopted you. So James is your father, but not."  
"Why are you just now telling me this?!" Harry demanded, feeling the anger flowing through him. Lupin began to speak but Harry realized that he didn't want to here him. "You know what, never mind!" And with that he stormed out of the Hospital Wing.  
  
  
  
Lavender, Parvati, and Seamus were headed towards the infirmary when Harry pushed past them, was that in hospital issue pajamas? They looked at each other.  
"I'll go after Harry," Lavender said. "You two go find Hermione and Ron!" Lavender chased after Harry, the other two looked at her startled. She didn't want him to do something stupid, and by the look on his face she'd seen she was afraid that he would. Finally she chased him to the Astronomy Tower. This could not be good. He climbed onto on of the window ledges, an intense look on his face.  
"Harry!" she yelled, panic filing through her brain. Was he going to jump? He turned towards her, panic filled his green eyes, a wild scared look was on his face, and he had the appearance of a frightened little boy.   
"Lavender," he whispered. "You shouldn't be here."  
"Neither should you," she mumbled. "I was worried. I didn't want you to do something stupid."  
"I know." They stared at each other for a few minutes.  
"What's wrong?" she asked, genuinely worried.  
"My whole life is a lie." He stared back at the window. "Everything…nothing is the same." He fiddled with the top of his pajamas.   
"What happened?" she asked, tentively taking a step towards him. He half smiled at her.  
"I'm not going to jump you know?" he told her. "Come up here, for some reason, I think I can trust you." Harry helped her onto the window sill and she pulled her knees up to her chest. "It's so peaceful up here."  
"What happened?" He gave her another half smile, there was less panic in his eyes now.   
"You won't believe me," he said softly.  
"Try me."  
"This morning when I woke up, my parents were dead. My mum was Lily Potter, my dad was James Potter. I went to breakfast, I flirted with you and Parvati." His face flushed a bit when he said that. "I gave a team pep talk and I played a game of Quidditch and I fell from the sky. That was normal, you know, for me. Then I wake up to Snape and Lupin talking about how Snape is my dad." Lavender felt her jaw drop. "My thoughts as well."  
"That's horrible," she finally said. "Why would they keep that from you, that's awful."  
"You're telling me." Harry looked down at the ground. "I was so upset. I didn't know what to do. So I came up here, and my thoughts are going, I don't know what to think, I don't know what to do." He bit his lip and looked up at her. He put his hand on her knee. "I don't even know who I am."  
She smiled at him. "You're Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, and the boy who's in my year, the one who lit my hair on fire during Charms Fifth Year and then made the whole classroom soaked when he tried to put it up. The same boy who threw a firecracker in Malfoy's cauldron Second Year."  
"You know about that?!" Harry asked. "Ron and I didn't think anyone knew!"  
"I was sitting next to Ron." He smiled, and then his worries crossed back over his face. He looked out of the window.  
"I feel like there's a piece of me missing."   
"It will be okay Harry." He didn't say anything. He looked up at her, and in that instant, he looked incredibly sad, lonely, lost. She wanted to help, but didn't know what to do. "If you ever need me, you know where my dormitory is." There were voices in the hallway and Lavender didn't have time to register, Harry had grabbed her wrist, and they were falling into the black void.  
  
  
"Harry!" Hermione shrieked. He had looked at them. He had a sad, lost, lonely look in his eyes. Then he fell, jumped, and took Lavender with him. Parvati had immediately began crying in the nearest persons', Ron's, shoulder.   
"Lavender," she kept saying softly.  
  
  
"Severus, Headmaster," Remus said out of breath entering the Headmasters office.  
"Remus, what is it?" Albus asked, standing up.  
"Harry overheard us Severus." Severus' face went even paler than normal. "He took off."  
"Where did he go?" Dumbledore asked.  
"Not sure, I thought that I saw Miss Brown chasing after him."  
Suddenly a loud alarm went off.  
"What is that?!" Severus demanded.  
"Students, have jumped from the Astronomy Tower." They took off running.  
  
  
Next Time: What happened to Harry and Lavender?  
A/N: Another evil cliff hanger, I know I know.  
KUDOS: LegacyLady, thank you very much, sniff sniff, Jessica veela, not a prob, mystical, thankels ;), Deity, here's more, still evil cliff, Shadowsofpain, thanksels, Lady Lightening, thank you, here's more, Helen, here you go! 


	9. I Forgive You

Chapter Nine  
I Forgive You  
  
  
"Oh Merlin, I'm not dead," Lavender said, kissing the ground.  
"What did you think I was trying to do, kill us?" Harry asked. She stood up and gave him an odd look. "I knew we weren't going to die, I read about is some book that the Astronomy Tower has these wards around it. You can't purposely cause damage to yourself at Hogwarts anyway."  
"You have no idea how scared I was," Lavender replied. Her face was pale, and she was shaking. She was also still in her Quidditch robes.  
"I can explain," Harry began. "But I really don't want to be right here, when they come searching for us." He grabbed her wrist and began to run.  
  
  
"Who jumped?" Severus demanded once he and Dumbledore and Lupin ran to the Astronomy Tower. There were four ashen faced Gryffindors, three of which were still in Quidditch robes.  
"Harry and Lavender," Granger said. Severus felt his heart stop. His son, had jumped off of the highest tower, why? Dumbledore put his hand on Severus' arm.  
"No need to worry," Dumbledore explained. "There is an ancient magic, no one can purposely cause harm to their self while they are in the castle. Lavender and Harry should be fine, but we should go find them nonetheless. Miss Patil, Mr. Finnegan, please go with Professor Lupin, I want you to comb the castle. Severus, Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley, I would like you to accompany me onto the Grounds. We'll meet back here in an hour." Patil, who was no longer sobbing, and Finnegan took off with Lupin.   
  
  
"Come on." Lavender watched the Whomping Willow freeze and Harry climb down into a tunnel.  
"Are you sure?" she asked, Harry nodded. She slipped down there with him and they both sat down.  
"I didn't mean to scare you," he finally said softly. "I just didn't feel like talking to Hermione or anyone else right now."  
"I understand." He looked up at her smiled.  
"You know, even though we've been in the same house, I don't really know you that well. Except I know you like Divination."  
Lavender smiled. "It's not that I love Divination, Parvati does, so since I don't really hang out with anyone else much I'm kinda stuck liking Divination. Plus Trelawney is the only Professor that doesn't see me as some sort of idiot."  
"You're not an idiot."  
"I know, besides I don't know much about you either, I mean I know you're the Boy-Who-Lived and all that but I don't really know much else about you."  
"Well," he said, looking away. "I don't know if I know that much about me anymore." She saw the same sad, lost look that he'd had in the Astronomy Tower pass over his face. They were silent for a minute and he looked back at her. "I know you probably don't want to hear about all this."  
"It's okay. Really. I don't mind. I'm just glad that someone was there to help you." She put her hand on his arm. "Just don't go jumping off of anymore Astronomy Towers with me; I don't think my heart could handle it."  
Harry flashed her a grin. "Well, I guess no one is quite like me. I've had plenty of practice falling from heights. If I don't fall or almost fall off of my broom, it hasn't been a Quidditch match." Lavender grinned back at him.  
"You have a knack for attracting trouble," she agreed.  
"Don't I? Ah, well, such is life." He looked down at his watch and frowned. "We should head back up to the castle…what do you say we go back to the Common Room, and when they're done looking for us, we can be like, well we were here all along."  
"Sounds great."  
  
  
  
"When I find Harry, if he's not already dead, I'm going to kill him," Hermione said, as she, Seamus, Parvati, and Ron finally headed back the Common Room after a long night of looking for Harry.  
"That is if Lavender hasn't done it already," Seamus said.  
"What was he thinking?!" Parvati demanded. "Either of them could have easily gotten hurt!"  
"Well we'll know where they are once we get back inside," Ron said. He looked over at Hermione and winked. Ron had suggested earlier that as soon as they could get out the Marauder's Map and look for Harry that way. He had said that he would have suggested it if they had been with Lupin, but they had been with Snape and they didn't want to risk their map. The walked the rest of the silence, Hermione thought murderous thoughts the whole way, and were finally at the Fat Lady.  
"Password?" she asked.  
"Fairy dust," Parvati said. The Fat Lady nodded and let them in.   
"Where have you been?" someone asked. Hermione turned around to see that it was Harry, who was seated comfortably on a couch with Dean, Neville, and Lavender.  
"Lavender!" Parvati cried, running over to her friend.  
"We've been looking for you," Hermione spat, irritated with her friend.  
"I've been here," Harry replied. He looked at the people seated on the couch and shared a look with Lavender. "Erm, actually I need to talk to the two of you."  
"Well you can do that on our way to see Dumbledore. He wants to see you and Lavender," Ron said, in an angry tone of voice. Lavender and Harry got up and followed them through to Fat Lady's portrait.   
"Erm, well I don't know how to say this. But I overheard Snape and Lupin talking about something."  
Hermione shared a look with Ron. "Erm, well, Snape's my dad."  
"I know," Hermione said without thinking and then instantly regretted it. Harry and Lavender had both stopped short. Harry was looking at Hermione with a look he'd only seen him give Snape, total and complete anger.  
"You bloody knew and you didn't tell me?!" Harry spat. He was shaking in anger. "You kept something like this from me."  
"Snape told her not to tell," Ron said. The mirror behind Ron's head shattered in an explosion and Harry took off down the hall.  
"Good job," Lavender said. "I think we can find Dumbledore's office on our own thanks." Lavender took off behind them. Hermione and Ron shared looks.  
"I don't think that Harry will ever talk to us again," she said softly. Apparently Ron wasn't worried about that. He kept looking at the mirror that was behind him.  
"How did the mirror explode?" he asked in a panicky voice.  
  
  
"Harry!" Someone was calling his name, but he didn't know who. All he knew was the blood pounding in his ears and the anger flowing through his veins. "Harry!" the voice yelled again and he half expected it to be either Ron or Hermione, either of which he would have gladly told off.  
"What!" he spat as he turned around. But instead of Ron or Hermione, it was Lavender. Lavender who had made him feel a lot better after hearing the news.  
"Are you okay?" she asked, softly inching forward at a cautious rate. He felt the rage that had been so pent up in him leave, and there was only fear and frustration left. He shook his head. She made a sad face, and came beside him.  
"I can't believe they hid that from me!" he said. "I thought that they were my friends. We've never had any secrets from each other before."  
"Maybe they had a good reason," she said softly. "I'm sure that they weren't out to hurt you on purpose Harry."  
"Maybe not," he spat. "But it didn't work out to nicely." They were quiet for a bit. Lavender was looking at the floor, an unreadable expression on her face. She still hadn't changed out of her Quidditch robes. It was almost funny, almost. "I want to thank you for everything. And I want to apologize for almost killing you today." She looked back at him, a slow smile formed on her lips.  
"Its okay, I forgive you. And you're welcome." She bit her lip. "And if you ever need anything, you know where my dorm is."  
Harry nodded.  
  
  
Severus rubbed his face with his hands. He took a drink of the Fire Whiskey he had in front of him. Harry had reacted to hearing news that he was Harry's father by jumping off of the Astronomy Tower. That was not good. There had been a reason for him delaying to tell Harry, and that was it.  
  
  
Next Time: Ron/Hermione…things get interesting  
A/N: NO EVIL CLIFFHANGERS! Do I get a cookie? Sorry I would have had this out way earlier but I've just had a block about this chapter. I wasn't sure how to do it. Also everyone go read and review The Marked. It's on my favorite stories list. It's a wonderful story and I am dying for the next chapter! And I am hoping that maybe if I can get tons of you to review it there'll be another chapter sooner to help me on my Seamus fix.  
KUDOS: Helen, awww, get your heart back going, you don't want to die, hehe, Phoenix, sorry it took so long, nightshade, thankels, Cele or Celest, thanks, Shinigami, wouldn't it be great if we could do that, ah if only we had magic :(, mystical, no you can't leave me, *sobs* what will I do without you, but have fun nonetheless, you will be missed, elvenprincess, here it is, not as soon as you would like but blame it on damn block, Alexandra, I know I know I know, one would think I was in Slytherin with my cliffies but I'm not, somehow I ended up in Gryffindor, who knew, kat, thanksels, MarsIsBrightTonight, not quite, but you are thinking on the same lines as me, Prophetess of Hearts, yes Harry jumped out of the window on his own free will, but see he knew what was going to happen, Lady Lightening, here you go! 


	10. Frustration

Chapter Ten  
Frustration   
  
  
Three weeks after the exploding mirror, Harry still wouldn't speak to Ron or Hermione, driving the two of them crazy. Harry was also skiving off Potions, however Snape hadn't said anything. If anything, Snape had pretended that nothing had happened, he didn't even ask where Harry was.   
Ron however was forced, by his mum, to talk to Harry. Harry had originally planned to visit the Burrow for Christmas holidays, but Ron was sure that Harry would no longer be going. He tried explaining things to his mum, but she just owled back saying that 'the poor dear has been through so much and needed a loving place to spend the holidays'. Ron had laughed when he'd seen that. It wasn't that he was angry with Harry, Ron figured that he would be just as angry as Harry, if not more so, if he'd found out that Snape was HIS father.  
There was another thing that was bothering Ron. The night that Harry had found out, the mirror behind Ron had exploded. Now Ron wasn't an expert on magic or anything like that, but he knew that when you were in Hogwart's you weren't supposed to be able to do accidental magic. He'd actually spent hours in the library with Hermione to find out what may have caused it. She thought that he was overreacting, but Ron was almost positive that there was something behind it.  
However, Ron right now had something else to worry about. Harry was sitting only a few seats down with his two new best friends, Lavender and Parvati. Not that there was anything wrong with befriending Lavender or Parvati, in fact both girls were on his Girls He Wouldn't Mind Snogging list. Well, not that Hermione was that bad either, she was on the list too.  
"Focus," Ron muttered. He finally got enough courage up to head to where the three were sitting. Lavender saw him first and bit her lip. "Erm, Harry?"  
Harry ate forked a bite of steak in his mouth. "Do you girls hear something?" Lavender and Parvati shared nervous looks.  
"My mum wants to know if you will be spending Christmas holidays at the Burrow," Ron said.  
"Tell your mum, that I would love to spend the holidays with her," Harry replied. "But no, I won't be spending holiday at the Burrow."  
"Can I give Mum a reason why?" Ron asked, knowing what was coming, but at least he could tell her that yes, Harry had given him a reason.  
"Because you'll be there and I don't want a slimy git like you ruining my holidays," Harry replied. Lavender and Parvati were still looking nervous.  
"I didn't want to keep it from you."  
"Well you did Ron and now you're suffering the consequences."  
"Hermione made me promise, or I would have."  
"Oh." Harry stood up; his voice was a bit louder now. "I see what this is about." The Hufflepuffs were now looking over at them. "Just because Hermione is your new snogging partner, you put her first." The Ravenclaws had joined in with the staring.  
"Hermione and I are NOT snogging," Ron replied loudly. The whole hall was now quiet. "Whatever you've got up your arse, I suggest you get out. I didn't want to keep it from you, I AM your friend." Harry threw a dirty look and stomped out of the hall.  
  
  
  
"Harry," someone called down the hall. Harry turned and half expected to see Hermione or Ron chasing after him. But it wasn't. Lavender and Parvati were calling after him and he wasn't sure if he was disappointed or not. He smiled at them, letting him know that he wasn't mad at them. He knew that most people thought that they were selfish airheads, but they weren't. In fact, they sometimes surprised him, how smart they were. Sure it wasn't in the book smart, Hermione, sort of way. But smart none the less. Parvati was excellent at Potions, and would tutor him to what he missed whenever he skived off, and Lavender was good at Charms and never seemed to mind helping him. They also would do most of his Divination homework for him, in fact, sometimes they would argue about who got to do it. In return he would help them with Defense Against the Dark Arts and somehow the three of them would muddle through Transfiguration together. Plus it didn't hurt that he hung out with the two girls that most guys in the school would give their left arms up to snog.  
"I guess you guys heard me telling Ron off, stupid prat," Harry replied. Lavender nodded, Parvati bit her lip. They walked towards him, and when they caught up to him they began walking together in comfortable silence.  
"Are you going to skive off Potions today?" Parvati asked. "If you want to we'll make an excuse for you."  
Harry stopped and thought for a moment. He had stopped going to Potions after the incident happened. He wasn't sure if Snape knew that he knew, but he was sure that Snape figured out why he'd not been showing up. Parvati and Lavender had both said that Snape hadn't seemed to care that he was missing. That furthered to fuel Harry's anger. Just thinking about it, made him want to scream. On the other hand, he could go to Potions and be a total prat to everyone there. That would make him feel better, or at least in his mind it would.  
"You know what?" Harry asked, the girls shared blank looks. "I think I will be going to Potions today, I haven't had fun for a while." Now the two girls looked really confused.  
  
  
"Bet Potter skips again," Lavender heard Pansy say as they waited outside the Potions class for Snape. She shared a look with Parvati and both of them rolled their eyes. Pansy was annoying.   
"I wonder why he's decided to be late," Parvati said under her breath so that only Lavender could hear her. They had begun to talk to the dungeon together, when Harry announced all of the sudden that he would be at Potions but that he would be late.   
"No clue," she replied. "But I am personally wondering why, all of the sudden, Harry wants to go to Potions."  
"Especially since last night he was screaming about how he couldn't believe a greasy git like that was related to him." Parvati giggled after she said that and Lavender did too, thinking about it. Harry had been in an uproar; at the time it wasn't funny, but now later it was hilarious.  
"The look in his eyes," Lavender said. They giggled harder, but stopped when she saw the glare that she was getting from Hermione.  
"What a bitch," Parvati muttered. Parvati had never liked Hermione, and Lavender couldn't blame her. Hermione had never been nice to either of them, ever. Hermione, along with everyone else, just assumed that the pair of them were airheads and didn't have an IQ of 7 between them. So what if they liked Divination, boys, and make-up? They were girls; they were supposed to like those things.   
"She's just hacked because Harry won't talk to her," Lavender explained. Parvati nodded.   
"Not to mention the whole scene at lunch," Parvati replied. It was Lavender's turn to nod. Their conversation ended, when Snape came and unlocked the door. They entered, silently. Lavender took her usual seat between Parvati and Seamus. She pulled out her Potions book.  
"I take Mr. Potter has opted not to grace us with his presence," Snape muttered.  
"He's going to be here," Parvati said, surprising Lavender. "He just had to, erm, go get his book. He, uh, forgot it in the dormitory." Parvati then proceeded to nod, showing Snape that she didn't believe it herself.  
"Really," Snape said indication that he didn't believe Parvati either. However he didn't take points off of Gryffindor, so that was good news. Snape informed them of what Potion they would be making today, and told them to pair up. Lavender and Parvati were together, Seamus and Dean had offered to let Neville work with them again, and obviously the dream team of Granger and Weasley were together.  
"It would make my universe if they blew up their cauldron or something," Parvati said chopping daisy roots.  
"You and me both," Lavender replied, cutting the caterpillars. They worked the next half hour in silence, Snape glaring at the Gryffindors, telling the Slytherins that their work was excellent. Suddenly a door flew open. Harry had finally arrived to class.   
  
  
Next Time: What is Harry about to do?  
A/N: Please don't skin me alive, I've just been REALLY busy! What do you guys think?  
KUDOS: Lady Lightening, sorry no H/R and H make up, and I lied about a H/R moment, sue me, Deity, Prophetess of Hearts, wait and see, Legacy Lady, thanks, that is what I was trying to portraying, gina97, thanks, Phoenix, yes bad H/R, Saavik, yes a cliffie, elvenprincess, thanks, Amanda, Saerry Snape, mystical, yes you are back, my loyal of loyal readers! 


	11. Attitude

Chapter Eleven  
Attitude  
  
  
Harry smiled at the shocked faces in the Potions dungeon. He didn't say anything and neither did anyone else. Even the Slytherins had shocked looks on their faces and Snape's normally pale complexion, was even paler. He noticed that the Potions Master, his father, was shaking a bit.   
"Hullo," Harry said. He saw Parvati and Lavender share and odd look. They probably thought that he was possessed, and he thought that he probably looked it.  
"Mr. Potter, please take a seat," Snape finally said. Harry stretched his arms over his head. He felt like being obstinate today.  
"Actually I feel like standing," he replied. There was a collective gasp from the Gryffindors and smirks from the Slytherins.   
"Sit down Mr. Potter," Snape demanded.  
"Ask nicely," Harry replied, a sly smirk spreading over his face. "And then I'll think about it." If it was possible every jaw in the room dropped even further. He looked up at his father, Snape, was going between furious and even more furious. His face was flushing different shades of red that Harry wasn't even aware that were possible.  
"Mr. Potter," he finally said. "Would you PLEASE SIT DOWN?"  
Harry smiled again. "Of course, Professor." He accented the word Professor. He made his way to where Lavender and Parvati were sitting and sat next to Parvati. The two girls were looking at him as if he'd grown a second head.  
"Are you okay?" Lavender asked, looking a bit dazed.  
"Excellent, never been better," he replied. The girls looked at each other and continued making their Potion. They explained to him what they were doing, and he began helping them make it. He was interrupted though, by someone poking him in the back.  
"What are you doing?!" He turned to see that Hermione was the one that had poked him in the back. He turned back and glared at her.   
"I don't want to talk to you," he growled.  
"Mr. Potter, Miss Granger is there a problem?" Snape asked.  
"Actually I do have a problem, but you know all about it," Harry replied. He gave Snape a smile.  
That had apparently pushed Snape to his boiling point.  
"POTTER, IN MY OFFICE NOW!" With a jump in his step and acid on his tongue he walked right into the office.  
  
  
  
Severus slammed the door behind him and Harry. What was the boy thinking? Apparently he thought that he could get away with whatever he wanted by pulling an attitude. Well that was going to stop. He walked in to see Harry sitting in a chair, his feet propped up on the desk. Was this kid out of his mind?  
"What do you think you are doing?" Severus demanded. Harry gave him an icy glare, his green eyes incredibly cold. He remembered when Lily had been that angry with him, the resemblance was chilling. He also recognized the attitude. He had been known to talk to his father the exact same way.  
"I was just showing up for Potions," Harry replied coldly. "I figured since I hadn't felt well for the past few weeks, when I finally felt all right, that it would be in my favor to attend class. That and I think Parvati's probably tired of teaching me Potions." The boy looked away.  
Severus put his head in his hands. The boy was so bitter, cold, so unlike the Harry of last year, and now he had been replaced by someone that reminded Severus so much of himself when he was younger. Why couldn't Harry have had a better way to find out? Why did he have to overhear? Severus had been ridden with guilt every since.   
He looked up to see Harry's hands shake. He looked up. Harry gulped and bit his lower lip.  
"I want to make one thing very clear," Harry finally said. He turned his head to face Severus. "I did not ask for this. I was happy before, even though my parents were dead."  
"James is your father, legally," Severus said. "Black has more of a legal claim over you than I do."  
"That doesn't change the fact that when I look in the mirror, I see you," Harry spat. "Or the fact that I have your genes and not James Potter's. Or the fact that I have an ex-Death Eater as my biological father."  
Harry's words hit him hard. True he hadn't expected some lovey dovey reunion between them, but he hadn't expected Harry to voice his hatred. Harry stood up and looked him in the eye.  
"I'll be in Potions from now on, but I don't want to talk to you and I don't want you to talk to me. I don't want anything to do with you."  
  
  
Lavender finished cleaning up her supplies with Parvati when Harry came storming back into the classroom. He grabbed his bag and stomped out of the class. She shared a look with Parvati, Parvati nodded and she ran after Harry. Harry had stopped outside of the Potions classroom. He looked lost and sad.  
"What happened? Did he give you detention?" she asked.  
"Ha, detention is the last of my worries right now," Harry replied. "No, I basically told him exactly what I thought of him then stormed out." Lavender didn't say anything. "It's not fair, you know. None of this, I didn't ask for it. None of it."  
"I know, Harry," she said, trying to soothe him.  
"No you don't," Harry snapped. Lavender jumped, Harry never used that tone of voice with anyone, especially not with her. But then his voice softened. "No one does." He looked her in the eye and smiled. "But you try."  
"I do try Harry," she said, realizing how close the two of them were. "And that's the best I can do."  
"I know," he said softly. He pushed a stray lock of hair out of her face and she felt a spark of electricity go through her. "You are beautiful." She felt herself blush. She knew that she wasn't ugly, but she never thought of herself as beautiful.   
"Thank you." She saw Harry's head come closer to hers and she closed her eyes. Harry kissed her.  
  
  
Parvati waited until class was officially let out before she left Potions. She admired Lavender for chasing after Harry, but she knew that Snape would be furious if she left as well. Besides one of them had to stay to get the Potions homework, they weren't exactly on speaking terms with Hermione, and the rest of the Gryffindors could have cared less about Potions.  
She rushed out into the hallway, and stopped short when she saw who else was out there, Lavender and Harry, and they were kissing. Realizing that the whole Potions class would see them, Parvati ran back into the classroom. She stood so that no one could get past her, and intrude on the couple out in the hall. She would definitely have to get the news from Lavender later.  
"Parvati, what are you doing?" Dean asked, after he tried to get around her. She thought fast.  
"There are, erm, giant mutant mice in the hallway!" she exclaimed rather shrilly. Dean had a confused look on his face.   
"Mice?" he asked.  
"Yes," she said, lifting her chin. "We, er, can't go out there until they clear up! Or they'll eat us!"  
"Parvati are you feeling okay?" Seamus asked, now standing beside Dean. "Maybe you've caught whatever it is making Harry act funny."  
"Possibly," she said, not really hearing what Seamus said.   
"What is the hold-up?" Blaise Zabini had now come to investigate. She slipped her dark hair.  
"Parvati claims that there are giant mutant mice out in the hallway," Dean said.  
"Of course there is," she replied. "Potter's out there."  
"Clever aren't you?" Seamus said, making a face at Blaise, she ignored him.  
"Seriously Parvati," Dean said, rolling his eyes. "Can we leave now? I really don't like being down in the dungeons, they're slightly cold."  
"Would you rather be eaten by mice?" she asked, trying not to laugh, with the sudden thought of giant mutant mice walking around Hogwart's. "I'm really scared Dean."  
"Look, if you want me to," Dean said, rolling his eyes once again. "I'll go see if the big bad mice won't come out and eat you."  
"Look, this is stupid," Seamus said. He pushed her out into the hallway and she felt her heart beat faster. She looked to see where Harry and Lavender had been, now only Harry stood there.  
  
  
  
"I think that Parvati is insane," Seamus said as the Gryffindors, sans Parvati, Lavender, and Harry, headed to dinner.  
"What makes you say that?" Ron asked, interested. He was hoping that it would have something to do with the bizarre Potions class earlier.  
"She was feeding us some story about huge man eating mice or something," Dean said. "It was insane."  
"Just like her," Seamus muttered.  
"And of course, the Slytherins were curious so they sent Blaise to come and investigate. So she put in her two knuts," Dean finished. "Things around here keep getting stranger and stranger." Ron nodded. Things around Hogwart's had gotten extremely strange.  
"Speaking of the Slytherins," Seamus said a wicked gleam in his eyes. Ron smiled. "Its time for us to get them back."  
"Ideas?" Ron asked.  
"Of course," Seamus replied. "While everyone else has been obsessed with Harry being totally insane, Neville, Dean, and I have come up with a perfect plan."  
"We've found a charm that can change the color of clothing," Neville said from the other side of Dean.  
"And one that shrinks clothing," Seamus finished.  
"So, we were thinking along the lines of pink frilly socks," Dean said. "It was either that or Gryffindor colors, but we thought that pink would do so much for Malfoy's coloring." Ron laughed.  
"You guys aren't still on about the revenge thing?" Hermione asked. Ron turned around to see her standing behind him. He didn't know she was there, at all. "This is how Harry got hurt!" she said.  
"Oh sod Harry," Ron replied bitterly. "He's too busy being a total arse." He thought of their conversation earlier that day. Hermione looked at him, her eyes filled with tears and she ran down the hallway. Ron took off after her. He shouldn't have said that, he realized, even if he was angry with Harry. He knew how broken up about it Hermione was, and he couldn't really blame her. He was just as upset as she was if not more. He followed her to the Fat Lady but stopped her before she could go in.  
"I didn't mean it," he said. She looked at him. She looked so small, so lost, so sad. It broke his heart to see her like this.  
"I miss him," she said softly. He felt a stab of jealous, but he didn't let it get to him. He knew Hermione and Harry were just friends; in fact he missed Harry too.  
"I do too," he said. She took his hand in hers and squeezed it. Her hand was tiny and smooth. He never realized that her hands were so soft. But, he told himself, there were a lot of things that he never realized about Hermione, like the fact that over the past month, he realized that he was in love with her. He had first noticed it the night that Harry jumped off of the Tower, but he had been too afraid to kiss her, even though he had the chance. Later he had kicked himself for not doing it.  
"Ron," Hermione said softly. He looked down at her and without another thought; he leaned down and kissed her. However his moment was not too last very long.  
"Do you lie to me all of the time, or is it that you just get caught every time you do?" Ron turned. Harry had just come out of the Portrait with Lavender and Parvati.  
  
  
Next Time: Harry, Harry, Harry! Oh and some Lavender and Parvati.  
A/N: Another evil cliffie! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! It's a bit longer this time…hope you guys like. And I you guys have the best reviews for the last chapter!!!! I love you all!!!  
KUDOS: kat, thanks, I hope this is quick enough, Prophetess of Hearts, no but that WOULD be funny, hehehe, AtieJen, that's pretty much how I see it as well, I'm glad that you understand, woo hoo, that is my exact point, and yes I know there should be an anti cliffhanger rule, and yes they will be suffering more, its not over there, Coell, here here here, LegacyLady, thank you, my biggest worry is that I am making Snape look to soft, you will let me know if I do, right, and thank you mucho for the compliment, *blushes*, mystical, yes you are my loyal of loyal, you've been with me, since Always, yes well there is bitchiness everywhere, but my main point was to make Lav and Pav not ditzes, bitchy, but not ditzes, oh, Hell Week, is just on hiatus, it takes a lot out of me to write that one, because its so sad, and depressing to write, don't worry, I'll finish it tho, Wink At J00, I know evil heath, and here is some L/H H/R goodness, and thanks thank thanks, *blushes more*, Luna Rose and Phoenix Child, don't worry, angst now, happy later, take that how you want, and no Sirius doesn't know, I haven't weaved him into this, yet, Dynast's Girl , yes I know I am evil for leaving it there, but you won't like where I've left it now much better, ~Shattered Angel~ 


	12. Can't Get Out

Chapter Twelve  
Can't Get Out  
  
Hermione froze. This was not supposed to happen. Harry was not supposed to walk out of the Portrait just then, and Lavender and Parvati were not supposed to be with him. No, this was not the way her first kiss with Ron was supposed to happen. She finally looked at Ron, who had gone very pale under his layer of freckles. The she looked at Harry who looked furious, his green eyes filled with rage, that Hermione was sure she'd never seen there before. Parvati looked smug, as usual, and Lavender was biting her lower lip.  
"Harry," Ron finally said. "What I said this morning, it was the truth." Hermione saw Parvati and Lavender share skeptical looks. The two of them were about to drive Hermione mental, she hated how smug they looked all the time, how they were always hanging on Harry, how they took the place of her and Ron, everything.  
"Why should I believe you Ron? You didn't tell me the truth about Snape, which was a huge thing, why should I believe you about not snogging Hermione before? The two of you looked pretty comfortable out here in the hallway," Harry said, his eyes flashing.   
"Because," Ron replied, she could tell that Ron's temper was starting to rise. "You stupid prat, Hermione and I are your best friends."  
"You were my best friends," Harry replied. Hermione felt her heart break; surely Harry didn't mean what he said did he? She, Ron, and Harry were supposed to best friends till the end. A stupid fight wasn't supposed to break them up; they were the Trio after all. But then Hermione realized this wasn't some stupid fight. There was more to it than that, she knew, but she wouldn't let herself believe it.  
"Harry we're sorry," Hermione said, looking down at the ground.  
"Sorry doesn't fix a damn thing."  
"Why won't you just accept our apologies?" Ron asked, rather demanded. She figured that his temper was rising at incredible rates.  
"Because I don't want to," Harry replied. Hermione rolled her eyes. Then she found Harry's glare upon her, and she remembered how angry Harry was. "What Hermione? Wondering how well I'm doing hanging out with Lavender and Parvati? Wondering how anyone could get through life without you?" Hermione didn't say anything. She looked away to Ron. "If the two of you are too self centered to realize why or how I could be this mad, then so be it. When you have a real apology, come and see me." She watched Harry stomp off down the hallway, Lavender and Parvati running to keep up.   
  
  
Later that night, Lavender lay on her bed with her Divination book in front of her. She was supposed to be studying various ways to tell the future from Tarot Cards, but she couldn't force herself to focus. Divination was normally her favorite subject, only because it was different, and it was actually fun and she could force herself to get lost in it. But not tonight, tonight her mind kept wondering back to her and Harry's amazing kiss earlier that afternoon. It made her smile just thinking about it.  
"What are you thinking about?" She looked up to see Parvati standing in front of the mirror, brushing her dark hair.  
"Nothing," she replied.  
"I know what you're thinking about," Parvati said, a grin spread over her face. "I saw the two of you."  
"I have no idea what you're talking about Parvati, I am just incredibly engrossed in our Divination homework for tomorrow," Lavender replied, knowing that Parvati could see right through her. She always was a terrible liar.  
"Liar. I saw the two of you. And it's thanks to me that the entirety of our Potions class wasn't also observing it. I told them that there were giant mutant mice out in the hallway. Seamus and Dean were convinced that I had gone totally mental." They both giggled.  
"Well then I should thank you. I would have been extremely embarrassed otherwise."  
"You should have heard that bitch, Blaise Zabini, she was all haughty and her usual snobby Slytherin self. It was pretty funny though"  
"I can imagine." The two girls were silent again for a while. Lavender flipped through the pages of the book and began reading some more, when she was interrupted.  
"So how was it?" Parvati asked. She jumped on Lavender's bed, landing on her left foot. She sat up to face Parvati, and pulled her legs in.  
"Amazing," Lavender said. "Honestly."  
"Better then when you kissed Seamus at the end of the Yule Ball fourth year?" Parvati asked. Lavender nodded. They talked about it more, but they were interrupted when the door to their dorm flew open. They both looked up in shock. It was only Hermione. She didn't say anything; she just flung herself on her bed.  
"I think she might still be angry about earlier," Parvati said, stating the obvious.  
  
  
Harry woke up the next morning to Dean and Seamus talking about pink socks. He was very confused about that, but much more confused when it came to Lavender. They had kissed the day before and now Harry wasn't sure what to do. He really liked her, but he wasn't totally sure if he felt the same way about her, and he really didn't want to make himself look stupid. Especially if she doesn't like me the same way, he thought miserably.  
He yawned and through his legs over the side of his bed. He looked over at Dean and Seamus who were already dressed. Ron and Neville were nowhere to be found.  
"Morning Harry," Dean said, smiling.   
"We've got our plan formulated for the Slytherins," Seamus informed him. "It's going to be rather amusing."  
"What do you guys have planned?" Harry asked, pulling off his night shirt. He looked around and found his uniform shirt and began to button it.  
"Pink frilly socks," Dean said, his smile turning into a full out grin. Harry felt himself grin as well.  
"When are you guys going to do this?"   
Seamus grinned as well. "Today, in about five minutes. So hurry and get dressed. Neville's down there already getting ready for it." Harry nodded and finished dressing. Then he, Seamus, and Dean headed to the Great Hall together. Neville was at the table, looking nervous, Lavender and Parvati were sitting next to him, both of them so they could see the Slytherins. Harry nervously took the seat next to Lavender. He smiled at her and she smiled back. Harry reached for his fork and their fingers touched for a second. He didn't know if it would be okay for him to hold her hand or if he should not doing anything. He gulped and began eating his eggs. He saw Lavender, out of the corner of his eyes, push her hair back from her face. Harry suddenly felt very shy.  
"Here we go," Seamus said, looking very happy. Harry looked to see Malfoy coming into the cafeteria. Seamus muttered a few words and pink socks were no visible for the whole hall to see. Sure it was childish, but everyone was laughing. Malfoy looked embarrassed and ran out of the hallway. Close behind were the rest of the Slytherins in their year, who mysteriously all had the same socks on.  
  
  
  
"Are we ready to go?" Parvati asked two days later. She, Neville, Seamus, Ron, and Hermione were all getting ready to leave on the Hogwart's Express for holidays. Dean's parents were visiting family in South Africa and he didn't want to go, and Lavender wanted to stay so that Harry would have a friend with him over the holidays. Parvati had just figured that she wanted to stay to snog. She had noticed that Hermione and Ron had been avoiding everyone, including each other. Parvati couldn't say that she blamed them, plus they were probably scared of the wrath of Harry. She sure was.  
"I think so," Seamus said, checking to see that he had all of his luggage.  
"You packed more than me," Parvati said, winking at Seamus. He blushed a bit, and Parvati laughed. She had been flirting with Seamus over the past few days, and every time she did he would blush. She thought that it was cute.  
"Let's go," Hermione said stiffly, pulling her trunk. Parvati turned to follow Seamus out the Portrait. However he stopped movie.  
"Your trunk too heavy Seamus?" Neville asked.  
"I can help you pull it," Ron said from behind Parvati.  
"I can't get out." Seamus turned around.  
"Let me guess Parvati's giant mutant mice are out in the hallway?" Hermione asked with a raised eyebrow.  
"No the Portrait won't open." Seamus looked irritated.   
"What do you mean the Portrait won't open?" Parvati asked.  
"We can't get out!"   
"Let me," Ron said, pushing past them. Parvati turned around to look at the other Gryffindors behind them looking confused. She saw Ron push on the door. Parvati pushed past Seamus and Neville to try and help him. Pretty soon the other Fifth Years were helping push the Portrait open. Seamus was right, they couldn't get out.  
  
  
Next Time: Hmmm, why can't they get out?  
A/N: Yes, I love cliffhangers.   
KUDOS: Saerry Snape, here is more, Prophetess of Hearts, Coell, long awaited, me, *blushes*, saddarkeyes, I've never been thanked for being evil before, thank you, Charma, Legacy Lady, thank you so much for your review, you made me feel much better, awww thanks so much, Luna Rose and Phoenix Child, Dynast's Girl, yes and I seem to make sure that it happens that way, The Kuro no Tenshi, sk8reagle, Saerry Snape, here is more,Lady Lightning, mystical, thank you love *blows kisses at mystical* you are the sweetest for reading all my stories! 


	13. Rapunzal

Chapter Thirteen  
Rapunzal  
  
  
Remus stood at the entrance to the castle watching the students leave for holidays. There seemed to be not as many students for some reason or another. He was trying to figure out what was going on, but just chalked it up to his imagination. He looked to see Severus on the other side of the hall, checking off a sheet, to make sure that none of the people who had decided to stay for holidays left.  
He let the guilty feeling fill him up again. Ever since the incident in the hospital wing, he felt incredibly bad about not telling Harry the truth from day one. Harry deserved the truth, James, if he had been there, probably would have even told Harry the truth by now. He looked over at Severus again. Severus looked up, and gave him an unreadable look. He was surprised to see Severus heading his way.  
"Does there seem to be fewer students out here than normally on the holidays?" he asked.  
"Yes, but I just chalked it up to my imagination," Remus said, looking at the other man.  
"Are you aware that only six students are staying for the holiday?"   
"Only that many, where are all of them at then. They'll miss the train, and if they're here when they're not supposed to be…" Remus began, Severus nodded.  
"Precisely," Severus said. "Perhaps we ought to look into it?" Remus nodded and the two took off in search of the school.  
  
  
"Parvati, move your arse!" Harry heard yelled from the Common Room. He and Dean had opted to stay upstairs until the school cleared out. He knew that Lavender was in her dorm room doing the same. He still didn't know what to say around her.   
"Didn't Parvati say she was leaving half an hour ago?" Dean asked. Harry looked over at his dorm mate and nodded.   
"They've only got five minutes before they miss the train," Harry said getting up.  
"Shall we investigate?" Dean asked. "The Common Room should be fairly empty." Harry nodded and he and Dean left the room together and headed down the steps. The din was almost deafening. What was going on? Everyone should have either been gone, or leaving. He and Dean shared odd looks, and they finally entered the Common Room. There were Gryffindors everywhere; it looked as if no one had left.  
"Did everyone decide to stay?" Harry asked, feeling a bit stupid. A Second Year, that Harry didn't recognize, looked over at him.  
"We can't get out," the girl said.   
"What do you mean?" Dean asked, Harry was sure feeling just as stupid as him.  
"Parvati Patil," a boy said, Harry was sure he'd never seen before. "Will tell you."  
Harry and Dean pushed to the crowd to find their fellow Sixth Years, all red faced, standing at the Portrait Hole.  
"It's stuck Ron," Parvati was saying sitting on her trunk. "We can't move it."  
"What's going on?" Dean asked. They all looked over to him.  
"We're stuck," Ron said, looking at Dean like it was the most obvious thing ever. "The Portrait won't open. Even if the Fat Lady was off visiting, it would still open from this way."  
"What do you mean the Portrait won't open?" someone demanded. Harry turned to see Lavender behind him. "There's no way that it shouldn't be able to open." She looked as confused as he was.   
"Thank you Captain Obvious," Ron snapped. Harry felt his temper rise, and he gave Ron an incredibly dirty look. His green eyes met Ron's blue ones. "Got something to say Potter?"  
"There's no need to be nasty to Lavender, she's not the reason you're stuck in here," Harry replied.   
"Harry, really, don't get involved in this," Lavender said, stepping between the two boys. "This is stupid, there's no reason to argue. Ron, you're right, that was a rather obvious statement, but no need to be nasty about it."   
"Let's try pushing again," Parvati said, looking at them. Harry figured that she probably didn't want Ron and Harry to start arguing again, she after all knew how betrayed he felt.  
  
  
"It's the Gryffindors," Lupin said half an hour later. "They're the ones missing."   
"Why is an entire house missing?" Severus asked. And why does it have to be my son's house, he thought very miserably. Lupin looked at him again.  
"The train has left," Lupin said. "Surely an entire house won't be expelled for missing the train?"  
"I would think not," Severus snapped. The two of them left the Entrance Hall and headed back into the depths of the castle. "Let's check their Tower first; I think that would be the best place to check." Lupin nodded and the two of them headed up the seven flights of steps it took to get there. They stopped at a Portrait of a lady in a green dress. But that's not what surprised him. The Portrait had been completely blocked. Someone had pushed a bookcase in front of the Portrait as to it couldn't be opened from the inside. He could hear people pounding from the inside and quite a few words that even Severus was shocked that were used.  
"Where is the Fat Lady?" Lupin asked. He looked over to see him wide eyed and shocked.  
"This isn't the normal guardian for the Gryffindor Tower?" Severus asked surprised.  
"No, not at all. The Fat Lady is the normal guardian."  
"Well, lets get this bookshelf out of the way," Severus said. He and Lupin pushed on it, he was thankful that he had the werewolf with him. His extra strength was incredibly helpful. They quickly got the bookcase out of the way. Now it was time to get the Portrait out of the way. He looked at the lady in the green dress. It looked to be a portrait of a Veela; this was going to be quite difficult. "Madame, I demand that you open immediately."  
"Do you have the password?" she asked, raising a perfect eyebrow. "You have to have the password."  
"Do we have to deal with this nonsense?" Lupin asked. He was sure that he'd never heard him sound like this before. "Let's just remove the bloody thing." Severus nodded and they started to work getting the Portrait off of the wall.  
  
  
Lavender sighed as she leaned up against the wall. For about forty five minutes they'd been trying to push the Portrait open. She was now exhausted. Parvati stood next to her, and she leaned her head on her friends shoulder.  
"Think your sister will notice you didn't make the train?" she asked. Parvati shrugged.   
"Probably not until she gets to King's Cross," Parvati said. "You know, on the train she's usually with her Ravenclaw friends. Mum and Dad won't be too thrilled. Coming all the way from bloody York, I can see my Mum's reaction right now." Parvati made her high voice sound even higher." What do you mean you bloody lost her Padmaaaaaar; don't they keep track of you at that bloody schoooooooooool? I knew that I should have sent you two to Beauxbatons. Really, your father though, no no, can't have my children get a French education." Parvati grinned, and Lavender giggled. She had spent part of last summer with the Patil's and knew that Parvati was a dead on.  
"I understand, my Dad would be furious, even though we don't live as far as that, we're a bit closer," Lavender said, still giggling a little bit. "Plus he's not expecting me for holiday."  
"Lucky you, trust me I don't want to go home." Parvati rolled her eyes. "Dealing with my mad Aunt Tessie."  
"Well at this rate, you won't have to worry about that." Parvati giggled.  
"Can you imagine the all of us stuck in this Tower forever?" she asked. "Like a twisted Rapunzal. We'll have to let our hair grow out." Lavender joined her friend in a fit of the giggles. She saw Hermione giving them a patronizing look, but she ignored that. She was too busy thinking of her and Parvati with tower-length hair.   
"What's so funny?" someone asked. She turned to see Harry, pushing his way through people to get where they were standing. He looked tired and his black hair was messier than usual.  
"Parvati with tower-length hair," Lavender said, trying to qualm her laughter. Harry gave a small smile.  
"You might start a trend," Harry said.   
"Possibly, let's just hope that we're not locked in her long enough for my hair to get that long," Parvati replied.  
"We're going to try pushing again," Harry said, looking a bit tired. She knew that he, Dean, and Seamus had been trying to figure how to get them out of there. "Would you ladies mind helping?"   
"We don't mind," Lavender said. She and Parvati pushed their way back to where the Sixth Years and some of the Seventh Years were standing. She noticed that they all looked tired and very frustrated. No wonder Harry thought it was odd that the two of them were giggling.  
"Let's try pushing again," Seamus said. She felt someone pull on her hand, and realized it was Harry. She felt an almost electric shock on her hand, where he was touching her. She felt him push her in front of him.   
"I want to make sure that you don't get hurt. I don't want anyone pushing you," Harry said in her ear. His breath was warm and tickled. She smiled gratefully at him. He gave her a quick shy kiss on the cheek, and she felt herself blush. She looked over to where Parvati was, in front of Dean, and her friend gave her a huge smile. She blushed again.   
They began pushing again; Harry's arms were on either side of hers. She pushed with all of her might, even putting her body next to Portrait, trying to use the added weight to help open. Suddenly there was a loud bang, she felt Harry's arms wrap around her, and they fell out of the Portrait, onto the stone floor, outside of the Common Room.   
She felt more people fall on her, and there was some more pressure. She felt someone step on her outstretched hand, and winced in pain. People were now streaming out of the Tower, not noticing that they were trampling on those who had helped get the Portrait open. She felt someone drop their trunk on her left ankle, and she yelled out an obscenity. She heard someone that sounded like Professor Snape demanding them to stop. Why weren't they stopping?   
She felt the minimal space that she and Harry had between them disappear, and now Harry was crushing her. People were walking on them. She began to panic. Didn't they know that they were crushing them? She felt her hair being pulled, and she yelled again. She could hear Parvati yelling from her left. She looked over to see Dean and Seamus trying to protect her friend from people treading on them. She saw that Parvati had started to cry, and she began to panic more. She became short of breath.  
"Lavender," Harry said in her ear. "We're going to be okay, they're just scared, like you. They just wanted to get out." She felt Harry press hard against her again and he muttered an obscenity and her hand was stepped on again. Someone had walked on them again. Finally the people treading on them stopped.  
She looked up through her brown hair and saw Professor Snape and Professor Lupin standing over them looking worried. She looked back over to Parvati, she had stopped crying. Seamus and Dean were getting up; she saw them help Parvati up. Her friend was wincing in pain. She felt Harry get up off her; the she felt his arms pull her up.  
"Are you okay?" he asked, almost inaudible. She nodded and pushed her hair back from her face. She saw Hermione holding her elbow, and Ron looking at her worried. Neville was nursing his right hand.  
"Is everyone okay?" Professor Lupin asked. They all nodded. "We'll take you to the hospital wing."  
"Why couldn't we get out?" Harry demanded from behind her. He put his hand on her shoulder.  
"It seems Mr. Potter," Snape said. She felt Harry's hand tighten a bit on her shoulder. "That someone found it amusing to lock you in."  
  
  
Next Time: How will the Gryffindors get home for Christmas?  
A/N: This chapter is longer! I just didn't want to stop people! Yay! Actually this story is longer than my normal ones. Always has 25 chapters and at 12 chapters this story was already longer. Go me!  
KUDOS: Prophetess of Hearts, very good it was Slytherin revenge, Coell, here's more, Legacy Lady, thank you, I love your reviews, they always make me feel extra special, I'm glad that you're not too perturbed by my cliffies, and I must agree with you though, they always make stories that much more worth the wait, Wink At J00, kat, Katzzar, correct guess, mystical, you read a bit too much into this love the bookcase was the Slytherins, but yes part of it does have something to do with the mirror, that you'll find out later, angel_lisa, that is exactly how I felt when I first starting writing this, I didn't think that I would actually continue with it, I just thought that it might be fun to write, and that's also why I had James adopt him, so that he was a Potter, even though not blood wise, and I'm glad that you love this, I really am, riverlady, yes I am having Harry be extremely stubborn, Saerry Snape, Saavik, good girl, good guess! 


	14. Violet

Chapter Fourteen  
Violet  
  
  
"Well, shouldn't you be off chasing them somewhere?" Harry replied snidely. Ron looked at his friend in disbelief, surely Harry wasn't going to sass a teacher, and certainly Snape wasn't going to let him. He looked at Hermione, who also had her jaw dropped. Sure there was the time in Potions, but he figured that Harry was just having a bad day.  
"Mr. Potter, I suggest you hold your tongue," Snape snapped.   
"I suggest that maybe if you had been paying attention to your beloved house, then this wouldn't have happened," Harry snapped right back. Out of the corner of his eye he caught Seamus and Dean looking bewildered.  
"I suggest that you come with me Mr. Potter," Snape said. He grabbed Harry's hand off of Lavender's shoulder. Lavender jumped. Snape looked at her, and then back at Harry. Then he looked at Lupin. "Take them to the Infirmary." He looked at the rest of the Gryffindors who were not hurt. They all were looking incredibly guilty. Serves them right, Ron thought angrily. "The rest of you back in your damnable Tower. I will discuss with the Headmaster how you are to get home."  
Ron watched Snape walk down the hall with an extremely irritated Harry. He wasn't sure who he felt sorrier for, Harry having to deal with Snape, or Snape having to deal with Harry's new found attitude.  
"Come with me please," Professor Lupin said, and they followed him to the Infirmary in silence. He looked at everyone, no one looked to be in major pain, and they all had scrapes and bruises though. He looked over to Hermione.  
"Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded, but was still nursing her elbow.  
"I just felt panicked mostly," she said softly. "That was scary wasn't it?"  
"Yes it was. I just hope those stupid ones get in major trouble. WE could have really gotten hurt!"  
"Ron!"  
"Well it's true; they deserve detention for a month, each of them! What if one of us was critically injured Hermione? Or what if one of us died? It would have been easy enough, one well placed step!" He was angry, and he felt he wasn't going overboard.  
"They were just scared," she replied.  
"So?" He and Hermione didn't say anything else to each other the rest of the way to the Infirmary.  
  
  
Severus led Harry to an empty classroom. He was so angry with Harry's little attitude now, he didn't know what to do. He expected Harry to be angry of course, but rudeness in front of everyone was above and beyond being angry. They entered the classroom.  
"I know that you are angry, but I suggest you keep your tongue in check in front of others Mr. Potter," he snapped.  
Harry's looked at him; his green eyes were full of fury. "Well I'm sorry, but in case you hadn't noticed, we almost got crushed there. That tends to affect my mood, Professor." Harry's stress on the word Professor wasn't lost on him either. How he reminded him of himself when he was that age, and he felt his anger vanish a little bit. How could he stay mad as he own son for something he had inherited from him? He banished the thought. He was a Professor at this school; he couldn't let personal feelings get in the way of discipline. Still this was his son, and he was sure that he would be acting that same way if he was Harry's age and his most loathed Professor told him that he was really his father.  
"Are you all right Harry?" he asked. The look Potter gave him clearly said that he had caught him off guard. That and he used his first name.  
"Yes, it's nothing I won't survive." Potter was eyeing him suspiciously. "I've gotten worse injuries from Quidditch."  
"How did you manage to get the Portrait open?" Severus asked, remembering that they were about it open it themselves when there was a pop and the Gryffindors came tumbling out.  
"We didn't get it open, you did." Potter was now looking incredibly confused, as confused as he felt.   
"We were about to."  
"We weren't even close. We were pushing on it, that's why some we fell out it." Potter had an unreadable look on her face. Then it flashed back to contempt. "I want to go to the Infirmary." Severus nodded, confused, and they went to the hospital wing.  
  
  
Harry stalked into the Infirmary, Snape was right behind him. He was confused about the Portrait Hole opening. Somehow, before it opened, he knew it was going to open, that's why he grabbed Lavender just seconds before it opened. He also remembered the mirror exploding. Earlier, he'd been so frustrated that he was angry, and the time with the mirror, he'd been extremely angry. Did his magic somehow have surges? Was it normal in someone his age?   
He looked to find an empty spot to sit. He saw that there was a curtain pulled around a bed, and everyone else was sitting around on beds. Madame Pomfrey must have made be seeing people behind the curtain.  
He saw Lavender scoot over, and he gave her a small smile. She smiled back, a bit shyly, and he went to sit by her.  
"Are you okay?" she asked, her hazel eyes, filled with concern.  
"Nothing I won't survive," he said. He saw Parvati looking worried beside Lavender. "Is Parvati okay?"  
"She's just worried that her parents will be angry about her not showing up on the train," she whispered softly. "Her Mum, is a bit, er, temperamental at times."  
"Mental is more like it," Parvati muttered.   
"I was trying to be nice," Lavender replied, shrugging. "But if the shoe fits." Harry smiled.   
"How are you feeling?" he asked Parvati.  
"I'll be fine, I was scared, but I'm over it. I really do want to know what they're going to do about holidays." He nodded, and they all fell into silence. One by one they were checked over, Madame Pomfrey having kittens over all of them, as usual. After an hour, they all left the Infirmary together and were about to go back to the Tower when they were intercepted by McGonagall and Dumbledore. Neither of them looked very pleased.  
"We've heard what's happened, the rest of your house will be aptly punished, along with those that locked you in," McGonagall said. They nodded. "Of course we realize that not all of your parents wish to make two trips to King's Cross."  
"Those of you, whose parents are able to, have been invited to come and pick you up here. They can Floo or Apperate to Hogsmeade, where they will meet you," Dumbledore said. "We will have that occur in two days. The rest of you whose parents do not wish to do that, of course are welcome to stay for holiday."   
"Have you found the Fat Lady?" Harry heard Professor Lupin ask, from behind them.  
"No not yet," McGonagall said. "We will though. Until then, Violet, will be your new guardian." Harry groaned, he did not like Violet at all. Especially not after what had happened Fourth Year, her informing the Fat Lady about the TriWizard Tournament and there was the incident last year, where he'd fallen in the Great Hall, and she'd mocked him ever since. "The password is Asphodel."  
  
  
"What did they say?" Lavender, who was seated comfortably on a couch in the Common Room, asked Parvati the next day when her friend returned from talking to Dumbledore.   
"Yes." Parvati sighed and flumped back down on the couch. "Mum's not too happy about it, that much I know. She sent back a Howler, with a note attached. I'm staying here."  
"Well that's good," Lavender replied. "You can spend Christmas with me."  
"Yes, well Padma wrote on the note too. The Slytherins were gloating about it on the train. They seemed to think that all the Gryffindors would be expelled."  
"I should have guessed," Lavender said, rolling her eyes.   
"What should you have guessed?" She looked up to see Harry standing above them, and she felt herself grin.  
"That the Slytherins were behind the latest plot to get rid of the Gryffindors," Parvati said.  
"That's what I suspected," Harry said, frowning. He looked back at Lavender and leaned down. "Can I talk to you, alone?" She nodded and smiled at him again. He helped her up, holding her hand for a second too long, not that she minded of course. She looked back over her shoulder at Parvati, as they left the Common Room. Parvati gave her a huge grin. She blushed. She let Harry take her to an empty corridor.   
"I, erm, am not quite sure how to say this." Harry was blushing, and he wiped his palms on his trousers. He was wearing a green sweater, making his eyes stand out more. "I, erm, please don't take this the wrong way or anything." He gave her a sheepish grin and she was confused. "I was wondering if, erm, I might kiss you, again." Now Harry was a bright crimson, and Lavender let herself giggle. "What, what's so funny?"  
"You." He looked confused, but she answered his question by standing on her tiptoes and kissing him.  
  
  
Next Time: It's Christmas! Well not really…  
A/N: Wow almost 100 reviews!!!! Also this chapter is dedicated to mah Nikki, who forces me to write out chapter after chapter because she is a meanie, jk.   
KUDOS: kat, LegacyLady, your reviews always make me feel awesome, I love you, hehe, and to answer your question, yes Lavender will be involved in the amends process, Wink at J00, SilverWolf, thank you, nik, you want a new chapter, never, Acacia Jules, thank you so much, one of my pet peeves is when people make Lavender and Parvati ditzy for no apparent reason, sure they giggle, but so do I, and I'm not ditzy dammit, hehe, yes, and for some reason, I am really liking H/L, I should, shouldn't I, you know since I am the author, Nagini, harrypotter-chik, Dynast's Girl, thanks, mystical, here you go chica, nice and quick too! 


	15. Hogsmeade

Chapter Fifteen  
Hogsmeade  
  
"So," Harry said, about an hour later. They were still in the empty corridor, and not that anyone had believed him, they had spent most of the time talking, not snogging. Although there had been some snogging involved, he looked down at her and smiled.  
"Buttons," Lavender replied and giggled.   
"Excuse me?" Harry asked, a bit confused.  
"You said so, so I said buttons, get is sew buttons."  
"Very clever."  
"No, not really. My grandmother says it all of the time. Usually, I roll my eyes, but I thought it would be funny."  
"It is." Harry leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose. They were silent for a few minutes, and then Lavender began speaking.  
"I have a question." She was blushing. Harry was confused. She bit her lip and looked up expectedly at him.  
"Yes?" he asked.   
"Are, are, we, an us…or because Harry I really like you, a lot." She was looking up at him; her hazel eyes were full of emotion. He actually was going to ask her the same thing, but had been too nervous. It took a lot of guts to do this, he thought.  
"Yes, erm, ya, if you want to be, I mean," he replied, he felt himself blush a bit.   
"Yes, very much." She grinned up at him and he grinned stupidly back. Lavender was now, officially his first girlfriend. He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. "As much as I would love to continue this Harry, we really must go back, before Parvati sends out a search party or has to lie about giant mutant mice again."   
"Where did that come from? People keep mentioning it."  
Lavender blushed again. "The, the day of the Potions class incident, you know where you came in late, well, Parvati saw us out in the hallway, and so she stalled everyone from coming out, by, by telling them, that there were giant mutant mice in the hallway." Harry laughed. Lavender smiled, and he felt her shyly hold his hand. "Shall we go back?"  
"After you." They walked back to Gryffindor Tower in silence and gave Violet, who gave Harry a dirty look, the password. They entered, still holding hands, receiving a few odd looks from various people in the Tower. Lavender led him over to where Parvati was sitting on a couch with a blanket. She was talking to Dean and Seamus on the couch across from her. Parvati gave the two of them a knowing smile, and scooted over so the two of them could sit. He saw Dean and Seamus look at each other, sharing a knowing look. They sat down, still holding hands.  
"You missed the announcement," Seamus said.  
"What's that?" he asked.  
"We're all going to Hogsmeade tomorrow, even those of us not leaving," Seamus said.  
"You're staying now?" Lavender asked.  
"Family has already left for Ireland for the holiday, luckily, Mum wasn't too miffed about me not being on the train," he explained. "Good thing too, the wrath of me Mum is a force to be reckoned with."  
"Is anyone else staying?" Harry asked.   
"A couple of the Second Years and Neville," Parvati said. "Trip to Hogsmeade though, means we can finish Christmas shopping." Harry felt himself pale. He would have to get Lavender something for Christmas and he had no idea what to get her.  
  
  
"Parvati, Parvati." She heard someone hissing her name and turned to see Harry hiding from behind a statue.   
"Harry?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.  
"I'm in trouble," Harry was looking down at the floor. She was confused.  
"You and Lavender didn't break up already or something?"   
"No, it's that Christmas is in three days, Hogsmeade is tomorrow. What should I get her?" He looked panicked. Parvati tried to stop from laughing, this was somewhat laughable.   
"I'll help you shop tomorrow. She can be a bit tricky to shop for, but I'm sure that we can find her something. Is this why you tore out of the Dining Hall like a bat out of hell earlier when Dean said something about exchanging gifts?"  
"Pretty much," Harry replied looking sheepish.   
"Well, come on, your girlfriend is up in the Tower worried about you," Parvati grabbed Harry by the arm. "Let's go." She couldn't believe that Harry was this freaked about buying a Christmas present. The two of them talked to rest of the way to the Tower and entered. The Common Room had pretty much cleared out; Lavender was sitting in one of the chairs near the fire. She was talking to Neville, Dean, and Seamus, who were lounging on a couch; all four of them were holding steaming mugs of something. He saw Ron playing Exploding Snap with Ginny on the other side of the room, and Hermione was no where to be found.   
Parvati sat in a chair next to Lavender, and she saw Harry sit on the armrest of Lavender's chair. She was past a mug, it was hot chocolate and she watched her friend. The two of them were cute together.   
In less than an hour, Parvati found her eyes became heavy, the hot chocolate, and warmth from the fire, was making her sleepy. She looked around, everyone but her, Seamus, Dean, Lavender, and Harry were left. She stretched her arms over her head; yes it was time for bed.  
"Going to bed Lav?" she asked her friend sleepily. Lavender opened her eyes and yawned, then smiled.  
"I think so, I was almost asleep." Lavender shoved Harry, who had moved into the chair with her. "Harry wake up." Harry muttered something and moved. Finally after about fifteen minutes of prodding, Lavender gave up and got herself out of the chair.  
"Should we even bother with Dean and Seamus?" Parvati asked. Lavender shook her bed, and the two of them made their way up the steps, yawning the whole way.  
"Where did you find Harry earlier?" Lavender asked.  
"Oh, that," Parvati said, giggling to herself. "He was hiding behind a statue; he was actually looking for me. He doesn't know what to get you for Christmas, so I offered to help him get you something. You know make sure he doesn't buy you a puce sweater or something." Lavender giggled. "But we can all meet up at Three Broomsticks later. I hate to leave you like this, but it is for you."  
"It's all right, I have some shopping to so myself, perhaps I drag Seamus or someone along," Lavender said, as they entered the dorm. Hermione was there asleep, and the two of them fell into their beds. Parvati fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.  
  
  
  
"Ready to go Ron?" He turned to see Ginny with her hands on her hips, standing in the doorway of the dorm. "I don't think that we have to worry about being locked in this time."  
"Funny Gin, you're a real comedian, you do know that don't you?" he replied sarcastically. Ginny made a face at him.  
"We've got to gather Hermione up, and then we can go to Hogsmeade together. Speaking of Hermione," Ginny said and Ron groaned. Ginny had been harping on him to talk to her since the kiss incident, he didn't know what to say to her, and so he had barely said anything to her. Ginny said that Hermione was really upset about it. It's not that he didn't, like her, he did. He just didn't know what to say to her, or anything. "I don't want you acting weird around her. Just be normal."  
"I'll try Ginny, I'll try," Ron said. He grabbed his trunk and followed Ginny down the steps to the Common Room. He spotted Hermione quickly; she was sitting on top of her trunk, talking to Neville. When he got closer he realized that they were talking about Herbology. He took the chance to look at her, without her realizing it. She was beautiful, true it wasn't in the way that Lavender and Parvati were, but she had her own kind of beauty. Something that was inside, he mused. Unlike the two airheads. Hermione looked up and saw them, she smiled.  
"Ready to go?" she asked, more to Ginny than him, he noticed. They grabbed, well rather dragged, their trunks and made their way slowly to Hogsmeade, talking the whole time. He noticed that Hermione really wasn't saying much to him, but he deserved it.   
When they entered Hogsmeade, Ron immediately started looking for a member of his family. He wasn't sure who was coming, all the note he had gotten said was that someone would be coming to get him and Ginny. He looked around, students were meeting their parents, and Hogsmeade was crowded. He saw Lavender, Dean, and Seamus heading off to High Street. Funny, he though, where are Harry and Parvati.   
He looked around some more and was about to ask Ginny if she saw anyone when he heard his sister yell. She saw her drop the handle of her trunk and take off running. He looked and saw Fred and George. George had just picked her up and swung her around. They were both laughing; George was too in the background. He drug his trunk over to where they were.   
"Fred! George!" Ron said. Fred had put Ginny down, and slapped Ron on the back. "I didn't know that you were coming to pick us up!"  
"We're not alone, the whole family came," George said. "Thought we could make a day of it."  
"Rather, Mum thought we could make a day of it," Fred interjected. "She's over there talking to Harry and one of the girls in your year." Fred pointed where there was a congregation of Weasleys, Dad, Mum, Charlie, Bill, and Percy. Even Penelope had come with him; they were really making a day of this. He saw Harry talking to his Mum animatedly; Parvati was standing in the background, looking nervous. Why wasn't Lavender with him? Lavender was his girlfriend, correct?  
He headed to where Harry was talking to his Mum. He was close enough to hear them.  
"Shame you can't come to the Burrow for Christmas," his Mum said. He waited for Harry's reply, waiting to hear what his excuse was.  
"I really wanted to spend the holiday with my girlfriend, Mrs. Weasley," he heard Harry lie. "Lavender Brown, she's in my year, and Parvati is kind enough to help me look for a Christmas present for her." Parvati gave a little wave.  
"How sweet Harry," Mrs. Weasley said. "Still, if you change your mind Harry, I'm sure Dumbledore will let you Floo over. Lavender can come if you'd like."  
"Thanks again Mrs. Weasley."  
"I also want to invite your for Easter holidays. It would be nice to have you around Harry."  
"I'll see what I can do Mrs. Weasley," Harry said, nodding, he looked around and for a moment their eyes met. Harry's green eyes met with Ron's blue ones, emotions Ron couldn't' read. Then he walked away, saying good-bye to his Dad and Mum.  
  
  
"Wake up sleepy head." Lavender turned over and opened an eye to look at her clock. It was 7AM, way to early to get up over holidays. "Wake up," the person said again.   
"Five minutes," she mumbled.  
"It's Christmas," the person said again.  
She sat up. She forgot that today was Christmas. She looked turned and looked at the person who woke her up. It was Harry and he was grinning at her. She smiled and then realized that she was only in her pajamas and she looked a fright.  
"This is a girl's dorm Harry!" she said, sounding way too shrill.  
"Parvati let me in, she and the others are downstairs. I think we scared the Second Years who are staying, because once we came in, they ran back up the steps," he shrugged.   
"So do we need to go downstairs?" she asked, trying to figure out how she could not get out of bed and grab her robe that was on the other side of the room all at the same time.   
"Yes, but I want to give you my present for you first," he said, sitting on her bed. Apparently oblivious to the fact that she was wearing a very small T-shirt, she pulled the covers up around her more. He pulled a package out of the pocket of his scarlet robe. He handed her the package, which was wrapped in bright purple foil. She looked at it for a minute. "It's not going to bite you! Open it!" She giggled and began undoing the package. In it was a box, and she opened it. There was a silver necklace with a glass globe charm, in it was a sprig of something, she couldn't tell. "It's lavender, I'm sure that you're probably sick of the whole lavender/Lavender thing, but I loved it, and Parvati said you would too."  
"Thank you," she said, surprised. It was very simple, but beautiful both at the same time. "I love it." She held it up to the light. Harry took the necklace from her hand and fastened it around her neck. The chain was the perfect length, not too short, which she hated and not long enough to bother her. She instantly felt bad, realizing that his present was so wonderful, and hers for him wasn't quite as thoughtful.  
"Lavender when it's worn is said to ward off the Evil Eye. It sounded Divinationy enough; I figured you would like it." She looked at her boyfriend and realized that he was blushing.   
"I do Harry, it's wonderful." He leaned over and kissed him of the forehead. "Thank you again. Now, if you would hand me the purple robe over there, I'll give you your present. Though I must confess it's not nearly as wonderful." He smiled and got up and gave her robe. After she fastened it around her, she climbed under her bed and found his package. She handed it to him and bit her lip, while he opened it. She had bought him new Quidditch guards. She figured that with him being on the team since his First Year, his were probably becoming rather worn. When he opened it, his eyes lit up in surprise.  
"How did you know?" Harry asked, grinning like a maniac. "I desperately needed some new ones!" She laughed. "These are the best!" He leaned over and kissed her on the mouth, apparently not caring that she'd just woken up, and her breath was probably awful.  
"As much as I hate to break this up, Seamus, Dean, and Neville threatened to break your legs and do various, very graphic things, if you two didn't get downstairs." Lavender broke away from Harry to see Parvati standing in the doorway. Parvati was wearing a huge grin. Lavender got out of the bed again and the three of them headed downstairs to open presents with their friends.  
  
  
Next Time: I actually mention Sirius, everyone note the time and date.  
A/N: How cool is this? My 100th review is from Severitus, so this chapter is dedicated to her. Also, the reason you got this chapter so quick, is because Nikki is a slave driver, lol.  
KUDOS: Severitus, yes they did, hehe, but no talking here sigh, LegacyLady, thank you so much, yay, just let me know if I go wrong, okie, MORRIGAN SNAPE, thanks, actually with the H/L thing, it wasn't planned, it just sort of happened along the journey, and now everyone likes it, so I'm glad I did it, nik, lol you crack me up chica, here is a chapter for youuuuuuuu, Severusgurl, thanks, Nagini, Dynast'sGirl, thanks, mystical, thanks, yes, it will be a bit though before we find out more about his magical outbursts, and here is another really fast…woohoo for me!!! 


	16. Weasley Matchmaking Foundation

Chapter Sixteen  
Weasley Matchmaking Foundation  
  
  
Ginny ran down a landing of steps, where Fred, George, and Percy had their bedrooms and began banging on their doors. Percy yelled irritably that it was too early, but Fred and George immediately rushed out of their rooms, throwing on their robes, and rushed downstairs. No one was down in the sitting room just yet.  
"Did you wake the others?" Fred asked. Ginny laughed. Even though her brother was nearly 19, he still was as excited about Christmas now, as he had been when he was three, or so their Mum said.  
"I tried too," Ginny said. "Percy was being his insufferable git self and told me it was too early, Mum and Dad said they'd be down, Hermione just sort of rolled over, and Ron didn't answer when I knocked."  
"Speaking of Ron," George said.  
"All I want to speak of is Christmas," Fred grumped.  
"Let me guess you want to know exactly why Harry isn't here, or why he and Hermione haven't said a word to each other?" Ginny asked, with a raised eyebrow.  
"I want to open gifts," Fred whined, but George stopped him with a very nasty look.  
"The whole thing, yes Ginny," George said, and even Fred started looking interested.  
She explained as well as she could, she wasn't sure of the exact reason to why Harry and Ron weren't speaking, but she told them what she could. However on the Ron and Hermione whatever it was she knew exactly what to say. Neither Fred nor George looked very surprised.  
"I always expected that Ron was harboring some sort of crush on Hermione," George said sitting down on a pouf. Fred rolled his eyes.  
"So what do you want us to do about it Gin?" Fred asked, mimicking his sisters raised eyebrow from earlier. She laughed. "Try to get them together? Start the Weasley Matchmaking Foundation or something?"  
"That's what I had in mind," she said with a wicked grin. Fred moaned.  
"And all I wanted to do today was open gifts."   
  
  
"I think this is the best Christmas I've ever had," Harry said, after the Gryffindors had ripped their presents apart. Mrs. Weasley had sent him a sweater, green of course, and some cakes, Lavender, of course, had bought him the new Quidditch guards, Seamus had gotten him a variety of sweets native to Ireland, most of them smelled of mint, Dean had bought him a practice Snitch, Neville had given him some special sweets from Hogsmeade, Parvati had kindly gotten him some new quills and ink, ironically the same thing that he had bought her, they'd both been complaining that they were low, however he did spice it up by sending her a bottle of regular ink and a bottle of Rainbow Ink, that was a different color depending on the mood of the user, Hagrid had sent his usual package of sweets, and even Ron and Hermione had sent him a book on Quidditch, he would look through it later. He had felt a lump in his throat when he opened it, truthfully he missed his friends, but he was still incredibly angry with them for lying.  
"Really?" Lavender asked, raising an eyebrow. She was leaning her head on his shoulder. "I don't suppose it has anything to do with me being here?"  
"No, it's because Parvati bought me ink," he replied grinning. Parvati giggled and Lavender punched him in the arm.  
"Why Harry, I never knew that you felt that way about ink," Parvati said, after she had stopped giggling.   
"Oh, yes, Harry's been harboring a passion for ink since we got here," Dean said, playing along. "One night I caught in the dormitory…"  
"I think we've heard enough," Lavender interjected. She was looking around. "Harry you've missed something," Harry looked to see Lavender holding up a package wrapped in Daily Prophet newspaper. He felt his heart sink into his stomach, Sirius. He took the present shaking and put it in his pocket. No one here knew anything about Sirius and he knew that he had to keep it that way.   
"Aren't you going to open it?" Neville asked.  
"Yes, later, erm, I'm going to go upstairs." He stood up; forgetting Lavender was leaning on him and ran up the steps two at a time. He shut the dormitory behind him and placed a basic locking spell on the door, insuring that Dean, Seamus, and Neville couldn't barge in. He opened the letter first.  
  
Harry-  
I haven't heard from you since October. I've had a few owls with Dumbledore and Remus, and they've said that you've been going through a few hard times, but wouldn't elaborate. I am really concerned. Please send Hedwig with news of you as soon as possible. I hope that I've done nothing to offend you Harry. I'll always be here for you. I know that it's been hard for us to see each other, but once I'm cleared, I promise, I'll make it up to you. Whatever it takes, I promise. Have a Happy Christmas!  
-Sirius  
  
He felt incredibly guilty for not owling his godfather. There was something more though, he felt guilty about not telling Sirius about Snape. He bit his lip and opened the package his godfather had sent. There was another note attached.  
  
I had Remus get this out of my vault, it was always my favorite.  
-Sirius  
  
He looked at the torn package and there was a picture of his Mum, Dad, Remus, and Sirius all wearing robes. They were standing in front of the Quidditch Pitch; all of them were smiling and waving at him. The picture was in a silver frame; he put it on his nightstand and sighed. He pulled out a quill, ink, and parchment and began replying to his godfather.  
  
  
"Fred," he heard someone hiss. He was about to head to his room, when he saw his sister sticking her head out of the loo door. Ginny's brown eyes were sparkling, full of mischief. He knew that look all too well, except that it was usually in blue eyes that mirrored his own that he saw it.   
"Gin," he whined. "Can't a lad take a nap?" Ginny shook his head and he sighed. He saw someone else stick their head out above Ginny's.  
"C'mon Fred, don't be a bugger." Great, Fred though, she'd gotten Charlie to join them as well. Who was left Percy? Fred turned on his heal and joined his brother and sister in the loo. However, to his surprise, Percy, his girlfriend, Penelope, and George were in there too. Six people in one small bathroom, was not comfortable.  
"Why is bloody hell are we in here, when we can be in a nice comfortable bedroom?" Fred asked. Ginny shrugged and Fred joined his twin sitting on the sink.  
"All right," Ginny said, sitting cross legged on the floor. Percy and Penelope were also on the floor, and Charlie was sitting on the toilet. "So you all know of the saga between Ron and Hermione right?"  
"Yes Virginia," Percy said. Ginny stuck out her tongue and rolled her eyes. She loathed being called Virginia. Fred didn't know if Virginia was really Ginny's name or just something annoying Percy called her. None of the rest of them even referred to her, and that was including their Mum and Dad.  
"The point is that we need to get them into a position to where they have to talk. Ron won't tell her how he feels any other way. Believe me I've spent the past week trying to get our hard headed brother to talk to her and he won't. And she won't talk to him; I've tried talking to her. She claims that he kissed her, so she shouldn't have to explain herself to him." Ginny tolled her eyes again. "It's pretty stupid."  
"He's so damn prideful," Charlie said. "None of the rest of us are quite anything like him, pride wise." Except Percy, Fred thought with a grin. He looked over at his twin who was wearing the same type of grin and knew that George was thinking the same thing.  
"So what do you want us to do Ginny?" Penelope asked. "Lock them in a closet or something?" Fred saw the gleam of mischief in his sister's eye, and he knew that innocent, never scheming, Ravenclaw Penelope had given her a wickedly fantastic idea.  
"I've got the perfect plan," Ginny said, but was interrupted before she could explain it. Someone was knocking on the door; they all looked at each other panicked. How would they explain what six people were doing in the loo? Before anyone could say anything people were hiding everywhere. He and George jumped in the tub with Charlie; he stuck his head out of the tub to see Penelope and Ginny jump into the closet. He saw Percy open the door, and George pushed his head down.  
"Perce, where is everyone?" He could hear Ron talking. Great, he thought, Percy was a horrid liar. Why did we leave him to answer the door?  
"Erm, not sure Ron." He could almost see the panicked look Percy got on his face when he was trying to lie.   
"It's dead quiet."   
"Well, erm, Ron, I really need to finish, erm, getting ready for my shower, so could you please leave?" He could almost here the panic in Percy's voice. "Why don't you go find Hermione or Ginny or erm someone?" Fred looked over to see Charlie rolling his eyes. "You know what, in fact, erm, why don't I help you go find them?" They heard the door shut and everyone came out of the hiding places.  
"That was close," George said, pulling his leg out of the bathtub. "So what was the plan Ginny?"  
  
  
Later Christmas Day, after Lavender showered and dressed, she headed up the steps to check on Harry. He had seemed a bit upset earlier, even if no one but Parvati agreed. He hadn't come back down since. So she had taken it upon herself to go and find him, even if she was headed up to the forbidden Boys Dormitory. She found, at the very top of the Tower, a sign that said Sixth Years, below it was a framed picture that Dean had drawn of the five boys that lived there. She smiled; Dean had made on for their dorm too, only theirs had them on it, not the boys. She knocked tentatively.  
Seamus was the one who answered the door. He had his normal boyish grin on his face, and light blue eyes. "Why why, Miss Brown, I would have never expected to see a lovely lady like you in a place like this."  
She giggled. "Is Harry here?"  
"Why of course, my dear lady." She giggled again and Seamus' brown eyes were dancing as he let her in.   
"What's going in here?" she asked looking around. There was a giant stack of cards in the middle of the room and everything was strewn everywhere.  
"Nothing," someone said. She felt arms wrap around her and looked over her shoulder to see Harry.  
"Does it normally look like this?" she asked, thinking of the girls' very neat dormitory.  
"No sometimes its worse," Dean said. Dean was lounged on his bed, reading a thick book. She didn't recognize what it was, Brave New World or something, must have been a Muggle book.  
"I just wanted to check on you," Lavender said.   
"Well that's very thoughtful of you," Harry said. "We were about to go to Christmas dinner, you and Parvati want to walk with us?"   
"Of course," she replied. She and the four boys walked down the steps, the Second Years were in the Common Room again, and once again fled, once they'd made it there. Lavender rolled her eyes; they really needed to grow up. She saw Parvati sitting in an armchair, Unfogging the Future, was in her lap.  
"Ready?" she asked. Parvati looked up and nodded and the six of them headed to the Great Hall for Christmas dinner.  
  
  
Next Time: R/H for all of you shippers  
A/N: Another chap for mah Nik, who is a my master….jk, lol.   
KUDOS: nik, you're right you're not a slave driver, you're my master, lol, Nagini, Bob, thanks, Dynast's Girl, no Snape this chapter either, but next I promise for all of you Snape fans, kat, thanks, angel_lisa, thanks, severusgurl, thanks, hehe yes, I am very happy with Harry/Lavender right now in this story, and to think I am a R/L shipper, ah those crazy ships, VampireLover, thanks, nik, again, here is your chapter, saddarkeyes! 


	17. The Snake and the Lion

Chapter Seventeen  
The Snake and the Lion  
  
  
A/N- If you do not like Hermione/Ron, then I am advising you that you will not want to read this or any further chapters. One of the couples is R/H and if you don't like it, I'm sorry, but this is MY fic, I'm not forcing anyone to read it. Now that I'm done being bitch, on with the fic…  
  
  
Ginny walked into her bedroom, which she was sharing with Hermione over holidays, she and her brothers had decided to put the Weasley Matchmaking Foundation into order. She smiled to herself when she found Hermione sprawled on the cot she was sleeping on ready a book.  
"Hermione?" she asked. Hermione looked up, her bushy hair all over the place.  
"Yes?" Hermione asked.  
"Can you help me get something down from the bathroom, I can't find the boys anywhere, and Mum isn't much taller than I am," she lied. She knew exactly where her brothers were, they were trying to convince Ron to play Quidditch with them, yes even Percy, they were going to lie and say that he was going to referee. Once they convinced him, they were going to head down the steps, and then throw Ron in the bathroom with Hermione.  
"Where's Penelope? She's taller than I am." Drat, she thought. Penelope was downstairs keeping Mum and Dad busy. She bit her lip.  
"She must be with the boys," Ginny lied. "Maybe she and Percy went for a walk or something. I really need your help though Hermione. Please help me. It won't take a second, I promise." She smiled, using the same smile that always got her brothers to do exactly what she wanted.  
"Okay, okay." She couldn't help but notice that Hermione looked slightly irritated when she stood up. Oh well, she thought. Hermione would be much happier once they got Ron and her together in the bathroom. She and Hermione made their way there, and once they were in, Ginny finished her story.   
"On the top shelf, there's a bottle, its blue," Ginny said. She watched Hermione try to reach for the top shelf, and while she wasn't paying attention, Ginny bolted out, and locked the door behind her. There was a special charm, thanks to her brothers, that enabled them to lock the bathroom from the outside, making it impossible to open from the inside. She grinned and waited for her brothers with Ron.   
As Hermione banged on the door and threatened to do various painful things to Ginny, that she was sure she'd learned from Ron, Fred and George appeared with Ron. They each held one of his arms and he wasn't looking very happy.  
"She in there?" George asked, as he and Fred pulled Ron down the hallway.  
"Looks like I had an easier time than you did too," she replied. "Where are Percy and Charlie?"   
"Right here," Bill said, he and Percy appeared from Percy's room.   
"Good, help us get Ron in here, without Hermione getting out," Fred said. They nodded, Ron looked mutinous.  
"What are you guys on about?" he demanded.  
Percy grinned, looking a little too much like Fred and George when he did. "Ah brother dear, you see, your siblings, Penelope, and I have decided that you and Hermione need to kiss and make up." Ron's ears went scarlet, and before he knew what was going on, he was locked in the bathroom with Hermione, while the rest of them stood outside.  
"Now," Ginny said with a grin, talking through the door to Ron and Hermione. "You know what you have to do if you want out."  
  
  
Severus twirled a gold ring between his hands. It had the face of a lion with rubies for eyes. It had been a gift from Lily; she had given to him so that he would always think of his little Gryffindor. He had given it to her for Christmas their seventh year while their relationship had been new. He bit his lip and continued to twirl the ring.  
He was debating on whether or not to give it to Harry, his son, and most importantly, Lily's son. He was sure that Harry didn't have hardly any memorabilia of Lily; the house that she and Potter lived in had been complete destroyed, along with the contents in it.   
He looked across the dining hall at his son. Harry was sitting next to the Brown girl; he had his arm around her. The Gryffindor Patil was sitting across from them, smiling and laughing about something. Finnigan, who was sitting on the other side of Brown, looked interested in something on her. He looked closely to see her showing him a charm around her neck and then grinned at Harry. It must have been a present from his son.   
He sighed and looked down at the ring in his hands. He should give it to him. He knew that much. He excused himself from the table, and clutched the ring in his palm. He passed the Gryffindor table, where they all looked happy, quite unlike a few days before when they'd been locked in the dormitory. None of them looked up at him, not that he expected them to, really.   
He made his way to the owlry and put the ring into an envelope he had in his pocket. He looked at the ring one last time. The ruby eyes glinted in the twilight, beautiful as always. The red remind him of Lily's hair, he took a deep breath. Harry needed this now, not him. Before he could change his mind, he put it in the envelope and sealed it. He attached it to one of the legs of a school owl, the owl hooted at him. He gave it a feeble smile. He attached the envelope to the owl's leg.  
"Take this to my son, Harry Potter," he told the barn owl. The owl hooted again and flew off into the night.   
  
  
"Do we have any plans for Boxing Day?" Parvati asked. Harry looked at his friend from across the table.  
"You mean besides lying around and not doing anything?" Harry asked with a grin. "Isn't that what you're supposed to do on Boxing Day?"  
"Well, besides that," Parvati said. Harry shrugged and took a bite of the turkey on his plate.   
"I didn't plan on doing anything really," Seamus said, from the other side of Lavender.   
"We could always try to do something," Dean said. "After all, I'm sure the second years would like to stay in the Common Room." He was grinning.  
"Have we figured out why they keep leaving?" Neville asked.   
"Nope," Harry said. They talked about what they could possibly do the next day, when they were interrupted by an owl in front of Harry.  
"Excepting post mate?" Dean asked his mouth full. Harry shook his head, confused. Who would be owling him? He recognized it as a school owl. He removed the envelope from the owl's foot and debated on whether to open it. He hadn't been expecting anything from anyone. He looked up at Lavender, her hazel eyes were staring at the envelope, thoughtful.  
"Reckon I should open it?" Harry asked. Lavender shrugged.  
"It's probably not straight from You-Know-Who," she said. "I expect that if it was, it would come in a much more sinister package."  
"You're probably right." He opened the package, and in it was a beautiful gold ring shaped as the head of a Lion. It had rubies for eyes. He looked at Lavender shocked. Who would send him something like this, something that was obviously so expensive?  
  
  
Hermione sat with her knees pulled up to her chest. She was killing Ginny and the rest of the Weasley clan as soon as they let her out of here. Well, she though, Bill wasn't here, he deserved to live. She wondered if he realized that he was going to become an only child.  
"Tell your siblings to let us out," she told run, breaking the silence.  
"You're killing my siblings, ha," Ron said. "Not after I get to them."  
Hermione shrugged. "As long as their dead, why do I care?"  
They were quiet again, nothing breaking the silence. That was until there was a bang on the door, and Ginny's voice entering the silence. "We're not letting you out until you make up. You're both being stupid."  
"Eat slugs Ginny," Ron muttered.  
"What is she talking about until we make up?" Hermione asked confused.  
"Er." Ron's face was bright red. "I told her what happened."  
"Oh," Hermione said, blushing herself. They were quiet again, she looked at Ron. Why had he run from her? Did he not fancy her? Did he hate her? She kept her questions silent, brooding in her own misery, until finally she knew she would go mad if she didn't say anything. The Weasley's were adamant about not letting them out, that was for sure. "Why do you hate me Ron?"  
Ron looked at her like she's grown a second head. "I don't hate you Hermione. I couldn't hate you if I tried."  
"Then why haven't you said two words to me?"  
Ron looked at her and gulped. "I was scared. Harry was furious with us. I wanted to do anything I could to get back on his good side. I thought that maybe if I didn't talk to you, he would talk to me. But I was wrong."  
"Ron."  
"And I'm sorry. I've missed you so much." He moved over next to her and put his hand on her face. "Can you forgive me?"  
She gulped. Where Ron was touching her face, thousands of electric shocks were flowing through her body. "I think so. Ron you really hurt me though."  
"I know," he replied shyly. "I promise to try and never do it again. "  
"Thank you," she said. It was hard for her to breath. They were quiet for a few minutes, the two of them looking into each others eyes. She finally felt herself leaning in, closing her eyes. Her and Ron's lips met.  
  
  
Next Time: Operation Tough Love  
A/N2: I know I know, bad me, bad me, taking ages for the next chapter! Everyone can smack me around some for being so bad about not updating!!!!  
KUDOS: Katzzar, Bill is in Egypt, nik, here is your Snape and another chapter, Coell, I know its taken me ages, I'm afraid people will be smacking me around now, SilverWolf, thanks for spotting my mistake…those damn Weasley twins giving me troubles :), kat, Saerry Snape, Dynast's Girl, Snape is in the chapter, snap away, harrypotter-chik, yes I know but Harry is upset right now, we have for forgive him for being a semi prat right now during his rough time, Saavik, thanks, usually I'm not a H/R shipper either, or a H/L one for that, but it just seems to work, in fact I hadn't been planning on any romance in this fic, but it just sort of happened, Nagini, mystical, soon it will be one big happy family again, candledot, here he is, and you see what he got him, Snape luver, updated, nik, here master, here they are, try not to be to evil to heath, Kalih, yessy maam, angel_yoyo, here you are, Lisa, you review made me laugh when I read it, I guess that I have review alert on, it also made me feel so much better, thanks so much! You got my ass back in gear! 


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